


Carmilla: Twice Bitten

by Tarantula22



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Action & Romance, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-07
Updated: 2015-06-24
Packaged: 2018-02-28 13:04:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 42,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2733617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarantula22/pseuds/Tarantula22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after the series 1 finale. Laura, Carmilla and co. return to Silas University after Reading Week, prepared to fight a new evil but resources are limited and, even worse, the death of Carmilla's mother has not gone unnoticed by a higher power who is determined to seek revenge…and the new Dean might also be connected to Carmilla's past! Standard day at Silas University!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Aftermath

**Carmilla: Twice Bitten**

**Chapter One**

**Aftermath**

_Laura_

 

Life is a strange and mysterious thing. One minute you could be the top of your class in high school with a promising future ahead of you and the next you could be fighting vampires while trying to stop a group of people being fed to an immortal and mysterious light entity. That was the life I was now living- kind of. To recap, I go to Silas University, a strange and supernatural place which was, until recently, run by an ancient vampire who used my now-vampire girlfriend to trick girls into becoming unknowing sacrifices to a light entity that was located at the university. It was a very stressful and scary time but we managed to stop the Dean, save everyone who had been kidnapped … _and_ my lit-paper passed!

We had believed that we had solved all our problems, only for my friend LaFontaine to ask what would happen if, rather than feeding the light entity a group of teenagers, it was fed an all-powerful vampire? It turns out my attempt of being a badass by causing the Dean to fall into the light may have done more damage than good. You can imagine how annoyed I am that my shining moment has been made into a giant mistake! The idea of leaving for reading week and never coming back was appealing but here I was, sitting in the front seat of my dad’s car as we head back to Silas University.

My dad is very over protective and had decided to buy me more bear repellent (seriously), accompanied with mace spray, a baton and, rather alarmingly, a “black lipstick one million volt stun gun”, which looked like an oversized tube of lipstick but was actually capable of stunning anyone attacking you. I’m not sure if this was a response to me dating a vampire or not. I had uploaded everything that had happened online, our adventure available for all to see. On campus, everyone knew what had happened (not all believed though) but off-campus? I’m not sure who’s seen it. I’ve seen the numbers and it far exceeded the number of students on campus but I have no idea if my dad’s seen or not. It’s not like I could tell him. If I did he’d never let me leave my room! I had expected more fallout from the videos. Vampires are a real thing! Vampire actually walk among us and no one seems to care!  I’ve had emails from people telling me how well made my videos are and it made me realise that unless you go to Silas, it does just look like a silly web series.

Maybe the world just isn’t ready to believe in vampires.

‘Remember to call me every night,’ my dad said, looking in the rear-view mirror and back at the road before quickly looking at the rear-view mirror again. He’s always extra careful when driving to the point where it was almost worrying. ‘I didn’t hear from you once all last term.’

‘I was…’ I considered my words carefully. ‘Busy.’

‘With boys?’ dad asked sharply with an accusing tone.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. ‘No, Dad. How many times do I have to tell you? I’m a lesbian. A _lesbian_! I’m as gay as the day is long!’ I replied.

‘So you say but I’ve read your…Ron/Snape fanfiction…’ he grimaced and checked the rear-view mirror again. ‘No lesbian would write _that_.’

‘I can be a lesbian and like non-lesbian couples,’ I huffed. ‘And where did you find my fanfiction?’

‘In your notepad,’ he answered without any trace of embarrassment.

I reddened. ‘I was fourteen…’ I mumbled and put my headphones in, deciding that listening to The Script would be less painful than discussing slash fanfiction with my father.

I stared aimlessly out the window at the passing scenery, the sky was a brilliant blue and the sun was shining happily away. Despite the beautiful day I couldn’t help but feel a tad apprehensive. Something bad was going to happen, that much we knew. We just don’t know what! I eventually dozed off and was woken up by my dad shaking me.

‘We’re here,’ he told me and got out of the car to grab my suitcase. I grabbed the bag full of my new self-defence weapons, suddenly wishing that I had more, and stepped out. My dad wheeled my suitcase to me and looked at me uncertainly.

‘Do you want me to walk you to your room?’ he asked.

‘No thanks,’ I smiled and hugged him. ‘I promise I’ll call you.’

He kissed my cheek and let me go sadly. I took my suitcase and made my way to room, waving to him from other my shoulder. He waved back and got back inside the car, leaving quickly. I walked through the mass groups of students, occasionally being stopped either to be thanked for saving the school or being congratulated on my story-telling skills. Again, the world apparently isn’t ready to believe in the supernatural. It felt a long way back to my room, the anticipation of seeing Carmilla again building with every step. I stopped at the door, my heart in my stomach. I hadn’t wanted to leave her here by herself but she insisted that she had nothing better to do so she gave me a kiss and sent me away.

‘I can do this,’ I told myself and pushed the door open. ‘I’mmmmmmm ba- whoa!’

The room was spotless! No clothes on the floor, all the rubbish in the bin and all the cups were washed by the sink! I ran to the bathroom, not believing my eyes and found that it was clean too! Carmilla never cleaned! She was a slob! She was messy!

There was a roar from a motorbike engine outside the window and I curiously walked over and peered outside. I grinned, looking down at the motorcyclist who was looking up at me, revving the engine. I’d recognise those leather pants anywhere. I ran out of the room, slamming the door shut behind and down the staircase. I quickly apologised to anyone I knocked into and jumped down the steps outside. Carmilla took her helmet off and pulled her hairband off, unleashing her curls.

‘Hello, sweetheart,’ she smiled and pulled me in for a deep kiss. I held onto her shoulders and melted against her, responding as she opened her mouth against mine. She instinctively took control of the kiss, deciding just how fast and how deep the kiss was.

She pulled back, leaving me wanting more and with my mouth hanging open stupidly. She grinned at me and turned off the engine.

‘What do you think?’ she asked, stroking the handle.

‘I-I-wow…’ I realised how stupid I sounded and shook myself. ‘How did you pay for that?’

‘My mother had quite the savings account,’ Carmilla purred. ‘She made many powerful connections during her long life and built up a rather large fortune. I figured it was my right to take control of it. All it took was some vampire persuasion and boom. I’m rich.’

‘So the first thing you did was buy a motorbike?’ I asked and she shrugged.

‘It goes well with my leather pants,’ she got off the bike. ‘I think it suits me, don’t you?’

‘Oh of course,’ I smiled. ‘You going to take me out on a ride?’

Carmilla cocked an eyebrow. ‘Of course…if you’re lucky I’ll even take you out on my motorbike,’ she teased and I felt my stomach do several backflips and then the worm (my body reactions to excitement in strange ways). ‘You all unpacked?’

‘No. I was a bit too shocked by how clean the room was,’ I admitted and took her hand.

‘Well I thought I’d surprise you,’ replied Carmilla as we walked back inside and up the staircase. ‘Did it work?’

We walked into the room and I nodded. ‘Definitely. Think you can keep this up all the time?’ I asked, unzipping my suitcase and starting to unpack.

‘I make no promises, cutie,’ Carmilla jumped on her bed and put her helmet by her pillow. ‘But I’ll certainly make an effort. I might even let you eat all your cookies at some point.’

I laughed. ‘I’ll hold you to that.’

There was a knock at the door and Perry and LaFontaine walked in.

‘Wow. A knock,’ mused Carmilla. ‘You two _are_ becoming more civilised.’

‘And I see you’ve learnt the concept of tidying up after yourself,’ replied Perry quickly and Carmilla grinned. ‘Have you two spoken about what we’re going to about this light?’

‘Erm…no. Carmilla doesn’t have a phone,’ I replied.

‘Couldn’t you guys Skype or email?’ asked LaFontaine and I gave her a look. ‘Oh right. Let me guess, your dad doesn’t let you have a computer at home?’

‘Oh no. He does. It just isn’t connected to the Internet,’ I replied.

Perry rounded on Carmilla. ‘Did you do anymore research?’ she asked.

Carmilla scoffed. ‘Like there’s going to be anything on what happens when you feed an all powerful vampire to the light,’ she replied. ‘It’s never happened before. It’s not supposed to.’

‘So we know nothing?’ asked Perry nervously.

‘We know that it doesn’t have a hold on anyone anymore,’ said LaFontaine. ‘It’s not mind wiping anyone into thinking what happens around Silas in normal anymore so what is it doing?’

‘Well could it be that it was hypnotising everyone because it was being feed people? Now that it’s been fed a vampire maybe it’s effecting them?’ I suggested and we all looked at Carmilla, who shrugged.

‘I don’t feel any different,’ she said, unconcerned. ‘But if I start hearing voices I’ll be sure to let you all know.’

‘Oh!’ I said and ran to the computer, booting it and my camera up, hitting the record button.

‘Oh do we have to?’ whined Carmilla.

‘Yes! Everyone helped us with your mother and they can help with this,’ I reminded her and recounted our conversation to the camera. ‘Just like old times.’

‘It’s only been a week, Laura,’ replied LaFontaine. ‘Maybe we’re going to have to deal with something every term.’

‘Like Hogwarts?!’ I squealed excitedly but they all gave me unimpressed looks. I shrunk back into my seat. ‘OK…maybe not.’

‘I’m going to start looking stuff up with JP,’ LaFontaine announced. ‘Maybe he can find something in the library databank that might be able to help.’

‘How does that work exactly?’ asked Perry.

‘He can access the library’s databank and use filters to find any books that may be able to help,’ shrugged LaFontaine. ‘It’s not hard. I’m actually thinking of creating copies of his data and see if I can change the code to create different versions of him.’

Carmilla frowned. ‘How does a ghost have…I don’t get it,’ she declared. ‘This place is far too weird.’

‘I don’t know. He doesn’t even know but when he was sucked up into the library he eventually became part of the computer systems and became code. I could hook him up to the Internet and he could surf the web- literally,’ replied LaFontaine, smiling. ‘It’s actually pretty cool.’

‘Until he builds Skynet and blows all of Silas up,’ said Perry sarcastically. ‘Actually that would be good. Do you think he could break into the military and send some nukes to Silas?’

‘Bit OTT,’ remarked Perry. ‘But I like your thinking. See you guys later!’

She grabbed Perry and left Carmilla and I alone. I turned back to the computer.

‘I’ll keep you guys posted,’ I stopped recording and set the file up to upload. I turned to Carmilla. ‘So while LaFontaine is researching…what should we do?’

Carmilla smirked. ‘Oh. I’ve already got plans sorted for us, cupcake. I’ve booked us a table at a nice fancy restaurant in town for eight-thirty.’

My jaw dropped. ‘Seriously? Like a date?’

She nodded. ‘Yeah. A date. You have eight hours to make yourself adorable. I’m going to-’

The familiar sound of the school alarm began to ring in our ears and we both winced. We had only just gotten back and the alarm was already going off?! Carmilla rolled her eyes and we joined the stream of students in the corridor making their way to town hall. Even on the way there, Carmilla and I were stopped by people thanking us for saving the school, much to Carmilla’s annoyance. It didn’t take us long to be reunited with Perry and Lafontaine, who was just as annoyed as Carmilla about being called into a town hall meeting. We took our seats, deciding to go for a row in the middle so we wouldn’t be instantly recognisable but could still have a good view.

The two projection screens on both sides of the stage turned on and the endless chatter died down. A new black teacher dressed in a very nice grey suit walked onto the stage and grabbed the microphone.

‘Hello, students. Welcome back. None of you know me. My name is Bentley Moore. I’m the new Dean of Students,’ he announced.

‘That was quick,’ Perry whispered and I nodded in agreement. I looked at Carmilla but she looked uneasy.

‘You OK?’ I asked and she nodded, the corners of her mouth tightening. ‘He’s not a vampire is he?’

She shook her head but I could tell that something was wrong.

‘I understand that some strange going ons have taken place in the last few weeks here at Silas and that a certain set of students have been spreading rumours on what has happened in the form of an entertaining web series…’ his eyes scanned the crowd and we all hid behind the row in front. ‘I would like to take this opportunity to make one thing very clear…vampires do not exist and the circumstances of the previous Dean’s death was tragic but were in no way the result of a supernatural event.’

‘Now that’s not something you expect to hear at a school meeting,’ whispered LaFontaine, smirking.

‘I will be talking to said students soon. Now, in regards to the giant mushrooms, I have been told it was the result of a science experiment gone wrong. Now there are some new rules that are to be put into effect straight away,’ he said, an edge to his voice. ‘No more school parties.’

There was uproar! The students stood up, shouting their displeasure and shaking their fists. Carmilla watched, amused. Moore waited for the students to stop shouting, apparently unfazed but this response. It took almost half an hour before everyone quieted down again.

‘Also, I am aware that there were a few abductions and, unfortunately, a number of deaths took place recently so I have decided to up the security on campus with extra security guards. You are not to be off campus after nine apart from weekends. Dismissed.’

Everyone stood up and began to leave, cursing away. I turned to Carmilla, frowning.

‘Looks like we can’t go on that date,’ I said sadly.

‘What? Of course we’re still going,’ she replied rather defiantly. I opened my mouth to speak but she put a finger over my lips, shushing me. ‘I set up our whole date, cupcake. We’re going.’

‘But what if we get in trouble?’ I asked, removing her finger.

She smirked. ‘Trouble is my middle name…actually its Bethel but that’s not the point.’

I smiled. ‘Bethel? Really?’

‘Oh I wouldn’t look at me like that if I were you…Laura Gayil Hollis,’ she said and my jaw dropped. ‘Talk about foresight,’ she teased.

‘How did you know?’ I asked.

‘You may not have had the Internet over reading week, but I did.’

LaFontaine leaned in. ‘Maybe we should leave before Moore has time to grab us?’ she suggested and we quickly got up and left.

‘Anyone seen Danny?’ I asked, jumping up and down in an attempt to look over people’s heads and failing.

‘Nope,’ replied Perry. ‘I’m sure you’ll see her in Lit Class.’

I bit my bottom lip. ‘You don’t think she’s left do you?’

‘Does it really matter?’ asked Carmilla, uninterested.

Once we were outside we split up again, Perry and LaFontaine going one way and Carmilla and I heading straight for our dorm. I immediately turned on the computer and camera.

‘So we’ve got a new dean,’ I told the camera. ‘And you would not believe-’

_Knock._

Carmilla and I turned round to find the Dean standing in our doorway.

‘Miss Hollis. Miss Karnstein. May I come in?’ he asked.

‘You might as well. You don’t make a very good door,’ remarked Carmilla sarcastically.

Moore stepped inside. ‘This is cosy,’ he said, smiling very briefly. ‘I felt it would be less scary if we did this in your dorm rather than calling you up to my office.’

‘What is this about Dean Moore?’ I asked shakily.

He raised an eyebrow. ‘Let’s not pretended we don’t know why I’m here. Your little videos…I want them to stop.’

‘What? I have a right to film and upload whatever I want!’ I snapped and Carmilla giggled.

‘It’s my understanding you were the cause of many disruptions during last half term,’ replied Moore evenly. ‘There will be no more of that. If there is then I’ll have you expelled.’

Moore turned and left, leaving me furious.

‘He has no right!’ I said, shutting the computer and camera down. ‘Who does he think he is?’

‘The head of the school?’ suggested Carmilla, smirking.

‘Only because I killed his predecessor!’ I threw myself on my bed, screaming into my pillow.

‘You need to relax, creampuff,’ smiled Carmilla, sitting on the edge of my bed. She started to stroke my back. ‘Relax and chill.’

‘I can’t! It’s day one and already things are going bad. We don’t know what’s going on with the light thingy, the new Dean is being a douchebag and now I can’t document anything?’

‘Did you just say douchebag?’ laughed Carmilla. ‘That’s pretty adorable coming from you, sweet cheeks.’

I sighed. ‘I shouldn’t be this down in the dumps this early on should I?’ I asked and sat up.

Carmilla held onto my cheek, smiling. ‘No, buttercup…you shouldn’t.’

‘How many pet names do you have for me?’ I asked, blushing.

‘Enough to keep me going, sugarcube,’ and she kissed me.

OK. Things might not be going my way but at least I have this to keep me going.


	2. Edmund

**Chapter Two**

**Edmund**

_Carmilla_

 

You would think she’d be a bit more excited but annoyingly Laura spent most of her time getting ready worrying about getting caught. I lost count of how many times I had to reassure her everything would be fine in just the first hour alone. Laura is one of those girls who, when needing to look pretty, decides to spend all of her time over analysing what to wear. I just change my top for one that actually covers my midriff and I’m fine. There’s no way in hell I’m taking my leather pants off. My butt looks spectacular in them and after spending so many decades forced into big puffy dresses there was no way I was going back to them. Sometimes it amazes me just how much has changed in the years I’ve been alive but there was so significant leap. It happened gradually and aside from the few grumps that plagued every generation, not one really paid any attention to it.

The 60’s were a particularly fun time for me. The parties were exceptional but without being loud and obnoxious, something the parties of today failed at. Anyone who knows me would be surprised to hear I enjoyed the 60’s. I’m not the type, to be honest. I’m moody and pretty selfish- except when it comes to Laura. I know that and I’ll happily admit it but the 60’s were a time where I was free of my mother. I had run away again, not that she particularly cared. After finding me in 68 she just claimed it was just another teenage rebellion phase and took me back to continue her slaughter of innocents. She always had a way of making me feel small and childish. I may not be over a thousand years old but I was no child! I hated the way she treated everyone because of her age. Age, for a vampire, is power and she was one of the most powerful vampires in the world, along with a few others but I hadn’t seen them for years.  I tried to push the thought of them out my mind. They were insignificant to me now.

Laura stepped out of the bathroom wearing a very cute pink dress and pink heels. She looked at me nervously.

‘How do I look?’ she asked.

I smiled. ‘I could just eat you up,’ I replied and she reddened. I could practically hear the blood rushing to her cheeks and I felt a twinge of hunger in my stomach.

I had only fed from her once but she tasted so freaking good. Usually everyone’s blood tastes the same: of copper. The iron in the blood makes it taste metallic but Laura’s blood somehow tasted different. There was the usual taste of copper, but mixed in with it there was something else. I’m not sure how to describe it but it was exquisite. Maybe it had something to do with all the crap she eats. You’d think it would have the opposite effect but c’mon, since when has vegetables and fruit ever tasted nice? I would love to feed from her again but I knew better than to ask. She’d offer if it were an option.

Maybe I should throw in a few hints?

‘And we both know you would,’ she smiled, embarrassed. She picked up her purse but I quickly stood up and took it from her. ‘Hey!’

‘You’re not paying for a damn thing tonight, princess,’ I told her. ‘I’m rich remember? I have enough money to last me the next five hundred years!’

‘Well you don’t want to blow it all in one night do you?’ she teased. ‘Otherwise what are you going to do in five hundred years time and you don’t have enough money to take another girl on a date?’

I knew she was joking but I involuntarily tensed. She was aware of our situation but it was such a throw away comment that I doubt she’s actually _thought_ of our situation. We’re on borrowed time and I began to mentally curse. I’m about two steps away from becoming a vampire stereotype. Mortal girlfriend? Check. Want to turn her so we can be together forever? Check. Pretty sure she doesn’t want to be a vampire? Double check. A slightly brooding personality with a dark past? OK. Maybe I am just a vampire stereotype but none of them look this good in leather and I’m certainly not going to be a whiny bitch about it.

‘Well by that time it’ll be perfectly acceptable to go around naked,’ I replied. ‘Once she sees my rocking body I’ll have her eating out of the palm of my hand.’

‘Wow,’ her eyebrows flew up. ‘Not shy at all are you?’

‘I’m not one for bashfulness,’ I leaned in and kissed her neck. I felt her body become rigid and I smiled against her skin. ‘Easy there, buttercup. I’m not going to bite.’

‘I-I,’ she stammered. ‘That’s not- I mean-’

My hands reached for the back of her thighs and started to glide up and under her dress. I groped her butt and kissed her neck again, jumping back playfully and grabbed my leather jacket and helmet. I reached under my bed and pulled out another helmet, handing it to her.

‘Don’t want to mess your hair up,’ I teased and she took it.

‘Thanks…’ she said uncertainly, inspecting it.

‘What’s the matter?’ I asked. ‘I thought your dad would have you wearing a helmet jut to go down the street.’

‘He did…’ she admitted sadly and now it was my turn to lift my eyebrows.

‘OK…’ I didn’t bother to question it and we left the room.

On the way to my motorbike a few people stopped us to talk and it took me so much effort not to bite their heads off you wouldn’t believe it. What is it with people and obsessing over “celebrities”? We’re not even celebrities but I’ve had so many people requesting to take selfies with me that I want to puke. No one (except Laura) appeared to notice my displeasure despite the icy look I gave each and everyone of them. I really hoped this wasn’t going to be a permanent thing. I could be anywhere right now! I was finally free of my mother and I was doing University again? I could literally take Laura to the freaking Caribbean and admire her cute little body in a bikini! Why were we here again?

‘Are you OK?’ Laura asked when we finally reached my motorbike.

‘I’d be in a better mood if all those morons would just leave us alone,’ I snarled and saw concern behind her eyes. ‘Sorry. I just want everything to go perfectly. First date and all.’

‘Awwww,’ the concern was replaced with awe and I’m sure that if I could, I would have been blushing. Blushing isn’t really my thing, mostly because my heart doesn’t beat fast enough. It does beat but not nearly fast enough. I don’t know how it works. It’s supernatural so don’t bother trying to figure it all out. As long as I have blood then my body kind of reacts normal. I can eat and digest it but I don’t need to. I mostly eat out of boredom…and to annoy Laura.

‘Let’s get going,’ I said and got on the motorbike, bringing it to life. The engine purred and I gave the handles an affectionate stroke.  ‘You getting on?’ I asked Laura, throwing my helmet on.

‘Oh! Yes! I will do that…’ she put her helmet on and awkwardly climbed up behind me.

‘Better hold tight,’ I said and she automatically wrapped her arms around my waist. I couldn’t help but smile before racing off into the night, Laura’s scream trailing behind us.

We arrived at the restaurant twenty-minutes later, receiving a few questioning looks as we got off my bike. Laura’s jaw dropped.

‘Oh my God! This is a 5-Star restaurant!’ she couldn’t believe it.

‘Oh is it?’ I said sarcastically. ‘Mmm…I never noticed.’

We entered the restaurant holding our helmets, receiving some more sceptical looks from those already eating their food.

‘S’up?’ I asked an elderly couple who were watching us and put my arm around Laura’s waist. I smiled sweetly at them and they looked away at once. I kissed Laura on the cheek, smirking at her. ‘I don’t think they like us being a couple,’ I told her.

‘Well it’s not really from their generation…’ Laura mumbled, looking embarrassed.

‘And yet I’m several generations older than them. Didn’t stop me,’ I replied and Laura smiled.

‘No. I didn’t, did it?’ and she kissed me on the cheek. ‘Thanks for being awesome. I still get a bit…y’know? Not everyone understands.’

‘That’s their problem,’ I said and a waiter approached us. ‘Table for two under the name Carmilla,’ I told him.

‘Yes, ma’am,’ said the waiter, grabbing two menus. ‘If you’d like to follow me.’

We followed the waiter to a table on the second floor, Laura twirling to look at everything as we walked. The carpet was blood red and the walls a golden cream. Suspended above us were several chandeliers with light dancing in the glass drops. The waiter pulled out both our seats and we sat down.

‘Can I get you two any wine?’ he asked.

‘Red,’ I replied and Laura giggled.

‘Very well, ma’am,’ the waiter handed us our menus and left.

‘I could get used to this,’ said Laura and looked at the menu, her jaw dropping again. ‘Wow! This stuff is expensive,’ she cast me a glance and I rolled my eyes. ‘Right. Don’t worry about it?’ she said and I nodded. ‘Are you really sure you want to spend so much on me?’

‘You’re worth it, creampuff. Just relax and enjoy yourself!’

The waiter returned with two full glasses and a bottle in an ice bucket. ‘Are you ready to order?’ he asked, pulling out a pen and paper. I downed my glass and started pouring another.

‘Can I have the lobster frittata?’ asked Laura and the waiter wrote it down and looked at me expectantly.

‘I’ll have the FleurBurger,’ I replied, not really bothered and he went off to sort our food out. I downed another glass.

‘Should you be drinking so much?’ asked Laura, looking slightly taken aback. ‘You have to ride us home.’

‘I can’t get drunk. Supernatural healing. Stops me from getting intoxicated,’ I replied, shrugging. ‘Doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the taste.’

‘Wow. So you’ve never had to worry about a hangover then?’ she was fascinated.

I shook my head. ‘Nope. Pretty convenient actually.’

She laughed. ‘I bet. Well...’ she took her glass. ‘Bottoms up!’ and she downed her drink, grimacing almost at once.

I chuckled. ‘Not your sort of drink I take it?’

She shook her head. ‘No. Not at all,’ and she coughed.

After asking for a glass of water to get the taste out of her mouth, Laura began asking me all sorts of questions about my past. Aside from the brief story I gave her while tied up we had never really discussed my post. It felt surreal going into all the details of all the different time periods I had lived in (the ones shut away in a coffin didn’t count) and told her countless stories of my adventures. She ate her food, engrossed in my tales while mine went untouched. She asked if I had met any historical figures, which amused me. Just because I was immortal didn’t mean I had met all the well known historical figures…I hadn’t met any and she seemed disappointed by this.

The waiter came and took our food, not saying anything about my untouched food and Laura ordered dessert.

‘Now tell me about you,’ I said. ‘I’ve been doing all the talking. Your turn.’

‘Well what do you want to know?’ she asked.

‘Well the easiest question is when did you know you were gay?’ I asked.

‘I dunno…I’ve just always known. When I was little there was this girl I had a huge crush on and we went to the playground one day where there was this really big slide and I pretended to be scared to go down it just so she would hold my hand,’ she blushed, smiling. ‘It all just seemed so…natural to me.’

‘So when did you lose your virginity?’ I asked bluntly.

She laughed nervously. ‘I- err…well what counts for lesbians?’

‘Sex,’ was my answer.

‘Then…I haven’t. I’ve fooled about and stuff but nothing…OK. I haven’t even fooled about. Once I told my dad he appeared to put a stop to all sleepovers, which was surprising. He was always worried I’d get pregnant and instead he puts a stop to the one thing that would stop me looking at boys.’

‘Would you ever look at a boy like that?’ I asked.

She shook her head. ‘Nope. Never. I’ve never seen the appeal.’

‘No. Neither have I,’ I traced the rim of the wine glass. ‘Women are far more…sensual,’ I put emphasis on the last word.

‘So…when we get back home…’ she looked nervous. ‘Do you want to…I dunno…possibly…be my…err…first?’

I gave her my best seductive smile. ‘Try and stop me.’

Her dessert arrived and Laura started eating it as fast as she could. I sniggered as she grabbed her forehead, moaning about brain freeze. We paid but Laura needed to go toilet and practically ran off, almost tripping over but she ungraciously regained her footing and went round the corner. I laughed.

‘ _Hello Marcilla_ …’

I turned round, recognising the voice. Where had it come from? I looked around wildly, finally finding the source at a table in the corner. The apparent nineteen year old stood up from his seat as I approached him, my heartbeat surprisingly increasing. Stood in front of me was my best friend, Edmund. He had been Sired by a friend of my mother’s a few years after me and were became instant friends…but I hadn’t seen him since I was put in the coffin.

‘Edmund,’ I said, my voice flat.

‘Marcilla,’ he nodded.

‘It’s Carmilla now,’ I replied, not sure how to respond. Should I be happy? Angry? Had he tried to find me while I was trapped in the coffin?

He noticed my uncertainty and smiled softly. ‘I did look for you, y’know. I just couldn’t find you and when I tried to get in contact…your mother sent me packing. I doubt she ever told you that.’

I shook my head. ‘No…’ my voice shook. ‘Why are you here, Edmund? Why now?’

He sat down and I did the same.

‘Because the news of your mother’s death has gotten around, Mar- Carmilla. Everyone knows. I knew I’d be able to see you.’

I snorted. ‘Yeah…and how is it you knew where I’d be?’ I asked and he looked confused. ‘What?’

‘Isn’t it obvious? Laura. You’re here because of Laura,’ he said and I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

‘How do you know about Laura?’ I asked.

He rolled his eyes. ‘Your friends let a bunch of vampires go loose! How do you think I know about your mother? News travels a lot faster now in the digital age,’ he mused. ‘It’s almost ridiculous how long we used to have to wait to receive letters.’

‘So you’re just here to reconcile?’ I asked.

‘No. I’m here to warn you actually,’ he answered, folding his arms. ‘What part of “everyone knows” slipped past you, Carmilla?’ he asked and I shrugged, confused and he sighed. ‘ _Everyone_ knows! Everyone including the Vampire Lords! Carmilla, you have just pissed off your mother’s best friends!’

I went cold instantly. ‘What?’

‘Dracula? King of the Vampires? Also known as Vlad the Impaler?! His son, Alucard? Elizabeth Báthory? Aswid and Asmund? Rasputin? They’re all heading to Silas to get their revenge on you! It doesn’t help that every other vampire in the world is heading there too!’

I leaned back, confused. ‘Why?’

‘Because of that light? All of us are feeling this irresistible pull toward Silas University because of that light. You most probably don’t feel anything because you’re already living there but for the rest of us? It’s like something is calling us and I don’t know why. The moment I heard about your mother and the Lords I knew I had to come and warn you!’

I went to talk but noticed Laura walking towards us, confused. ‘Oh crap…’ I muttered.

‘Hey,’ she smiled and looked at Edmund and then me. ‘Who’s this?’ she asked.

‘Laura…this is my best friend Edmund,’ I introduced and Edmund stood up, instinctively bowing to her and she giggled uncertainly. ‘He’s here because…there’s even more trouble.’

‘Huh? More trouble?’

‘It appears we ticked off a few of my mother’s powerful friends who are- err- apparently planning on killing us,’ I winced and, for what felt like the hundredth time that night, her jaw dropped.

‘Oh my god!’ she brought her hands to her mouth. ‘Oh my god! There are more of them? They’re coming to kill us?!’

I stood up and gathered her to me. ‘It’s fine! I’m going to keep you safe,’ I told her and stroked her hair. ‘Oh…and all the vampires in the world are heading toward Silas because of the light.’

‘What?!’ she screamed, pulling away but I hugged her tightly again.

‘Try not to freak out. I’m going to keep you safe!’ I threw Edmund a dirty look. ‘Couldn’t find a better time to come and see me?’

He looked annoyed. ‘I thought you’d want to know as soon as possible! I tried to find you at the uni but you were riding off by the time I found you. I had to vamp speed after you…discreetly of course.’

‘Well this hasn’t gone as well as I hoped!’ Laura cried into my shoulder.

‘No…me neither.’

Edmund stood up, looked uncomfortable. ‘We need to get back to Silas and decide what we’re going to do. We need a plan to keep the vampires and the Vampire Lords out of the campus. Shall we go? I can get a ride back and meet you at your room?’

‘Yeah. Sure,’ I led Laura out, mentally kicking myself.

I am sooooooo screwed.

 


	3. The Tale of Two Friends

**Chapter Three**

**The Tale of Two Friends**

_Laura_

 

We didn’t talk the whole way back to Silas, apparently too wrapped up in our own thoughts. She knew the full extent of our problem while I could only imagine and, unsurprisingly, I could only imagine the worse. Carmilla had to stop at the sealed gate and turned the engine off without a word. We both slid off and took our helmets off. She checked the gate out, finding that it was electronically locked rather than the clichéd chain and lock. A cab arrived and Edmund stepped out, paying the driver. The cab driver drove off quickly…perhaps a bit too quickly. Silas’s reputation for being unusual was clearly spreading.

‘We have to climb over the gate,’ said Carmilla.

I coughed and the two looked at me, confused. ‘Hello? Short girl in high heels?! I can’t climb that! I’ll break my neck!’ I protested and they both laughed, annoying me. ‘It’s not funny!’

Carmilla walked over to me and hugged me. ‘Poor baby…’ she said softly before lifting me up bridal style and jumped over the gate.

I screamed but thankfully it was over quickly. She put me down and I had to hold onto her because my shaking legs could barely hold me up. She seemed amused by this.

‘You OK there, cupcake?’ she asked and I nodded. ‘You sure?’

‘Yeah,’ I replied unsteadily. I laughed. Even now she could still amaze me. ‘Talk about sweeping me off my feet.’

‘If I could interrupt,’ said Edmund standing next to us. We appeared to have not noticed him jumping over the gate. He pointed towards Building MS where several newly appointed guards were walking.

Carmilla grabbed my hand and we ran towards our building, Edmund following closely behind. We stopped by the corner of the LC Building, peeking round to see if there were any more guards. There were three of them hanging by the entrance door, talking amongst themselves and smoking cigarettes. I noticed that hanging from their waists were stun batons.

‘That’s weird,’ I muttered.

‘What is?’ asked Carmilla curiously.

‘They’re equipped with stun batons,’ I replied. ‘Bit extreme don’t you think?’

Edmund shook his head. ‘It’s a big campus and plenty of crap went down with the missing students, right? Most probably just being careful.’

It was a solid argument but it didn’t sit right with me. There was no way to get in through the front door so Carmilla picked my up again and she and Edmund jumped all the way to the roof of the building. Carmilla didn’t bother putting me down and instead the two ran across the roof and leapt across the gap between the two buildings and landed on the roof.

‘So you can jump great distances and heights and turn into a giant cat,’ I said as she put me down. ‘Is there anything you can’t do?’

‘Cook,’ was her simple reply and she winked, flashing me a flirtatious grin.

We approached the door and went down the small staircase to our floor. There were more security guards, these ones holding their flashlights out in front of them. Carmilla rolled her eyes and looked to Edmund and me for suggestions. Before either of us could say anything, there was a loud _bang_! A door had been thrown open and there was a roar of passionate cheers!

‘PARTY ON, ZETAS!’ shouted an all-too familiar voice.

I smirked. ‘It’s Kirsch,’ I whispered and there was a stampede of footsteps, the Zetas flooding the corridor.

Carmilla pushed Edmund and me back to the top of the staircase, hoping that we would go unnoticed by the guards as they attempted to round up the Zetas. More doors opened, confused students investigating what was the cause of all the noise.

‘GET BACK TO YOUR ROOMS!’ shouted a guard but to avail. Eager students to party swiftly followed the Zetas and I felt Carmilla grab my hand.

She pulled me into the corridor, pushing past the students and into our room, Edmund closing the door behind us. He laughed.

‘Some school you have,’ he commented and I ran straight to the window, forcing it open and poked my head out.

The Zetas were throwing rolls of toilet paper all over the place while the guards tried to stop them, making no move to grab their stun batons. Kirsch ran by my window and waved.

‘What’s up, nerd hottie?’ he shouted. ‘Join the party! You and Carmilla are like honorary chick-bros!’

‘No thanks, Kirsch!’ I shouted back. ‘Just be careful, OK?’

‘You know it, nerd hottie!’ he first pumped the air before running off, cheering ecstatically.

‘That guy is a moron,’ said Carmilla from her bed, a glass of blood in her hand. ‘Harmless but still a moron.’

I gave her a knowing look. ‘You like him a little bit.’

She looked offended by this remark. ‘I do not!’ she replied. ‘The only people I like are you and Edmund,’ she threw him a dirty look. ‘And even then I’m not sure on Edmund.’

He looked annoyed. ‘I told you your mother stopped me from getting back in contact with you!’ he snapped. ‘Why do you think I’m here now that she’s gone?’

‘Yeah yeah,’ she said impassively. ‘There are some blood bags in the fridge if you want something to drink.’

‘We have blood bags in the fridge?!’ I yelled and threw the door open. ‘Why are there blood bags in the fridge?’

‘You didn’t complain when it was in the milk carton,’ she replied, shrugging. ‘Oh shut up,’ she told Edmund, who was tickled by this statement and was now sniggering. ‘I was hiding my vampirism from her, OK?’

‘I’m not judging,’ he said. ‘Can you pass me a bag please, Laura?’

I grabbed the bag, my skin crawling and I practically threw it to him. He grabbed it and drained it within a minute, surprising both Carmilla and me.

‘Hungry?’ asked Carmilla.

‘Starving,’ replied Edmund, giving a satisfied sigh. ‘I haven’t had much chance to eat since arriving in Styria.’

I sat on my bed, grabbing both of my knees. ‘Sooo…do you two want to tell me what’s going on?’ I asked and Edmund sat on Carmilla’s bed, looking at her.

‘Do you want to tell the story or should I?’ he asked.

‘I already told her my story,’ replied Carmilla. ‘You can tell this one,’ and she sprawled out on her bed, closing her eyes.

Edmund ran his hand through his scruffy brown hair. ‘Well I was Sired by my Vampire-Father in 1704. I met Carmilla and her mother in 1708. My Father was an old friend of Carmilla’s mother. He wasn’t as powerful but they enjoyed each other’s company, leaving Carmilla and I to entertain ourselves while they went off to balls and social events. Unless they wanted us to make friends with the offspring of someone in power we weren’t wanted. Carmilla was taken every twenty years for the sacrifice but other than that we were inseparable.’

‘My father was determined to become one of the Vampire Lords and was hoping Carmilla’s mother would help him rise to power,’ Edmund continued and saw my puzzled look. ‘The Vampire Lords are a special breed of vampires. They’re vampires without souls. Our souls are what links us to our previous humanity,’ he explained and I nodded. ‘Without that, a vampire is consumed by darkness and can harness it.’

‘Like in Star Wars? With the Light and Dark Side?’ I asked and Carmilla snorted.

Edmund nodded. ‘Kind of. Vampires already have special powers like super speed and strength and we can transform into animals. Carmilla, as you know, can turn into a giant cat. I can turn into a wolf but vampires that have lost their souls? They can do things like possessing someone, induce fear into people’s minds and their strength cannot be matched! That’s just a small list.’

‘So how does a vampire lost their soul?’ I asked curiously.

‘It requires seven talisman, each one in the possession of a Vampire Lord-’

‘I sold my mother’s to add to my trust fund,’ Carmilla sniggered.

Edmund looked angry about this. ‘So you piss off the Vampire Lords by killing your mother and then decide to sell the only bargaining chip you had?’ he snapped and she sat up, furious. ‘Don’t give me that look. You should have known better. You only have all of eternity to run into them!’

‘Can you two please not fight?’ I asked nervously.

‘Yeah. Sorry,’ said Edmund. ‘Anyway, they need seven talisman and a full moon on a ground of supernatural energy so you can guess why my father decided to make friends with Carmilla’s mother. Silas was her stomping ground and it’s brimming with supernatural power. Anyway, Carmilla and I were best friends. While the old vampires went out to fancy balls, we’d go and play. We’d race in our animal forms across the moors and play tricks on the villagers until my father decided to steal Carmilla’s mother’s talisman. He was killed and my time with Carmilla was limited.’

‘She only let you stay because I threw a hissy fit,’ Carmilla reflected, a ghost of a smile on her lips. Was she thinking back to simpler and happier times? I felt sorry for her, remembering how she was a forced accomplice in the murder of so many girls.

‘I was there when Carmilla had to befriend Elle,’ he said, unsure whether he should continue but Carmilla curled up into a ball with her back to us. ‘I was the one who suggested that they run away but things didn’t go to plan and Carmilla was sealed in the coffin and I was chased out of Styria. I would return whenever I heard Carmilla’s mother was away but I could never find the coffin. Eventually her mother realised I was trying to find Carmilla and sent some of Carmilla’s brothers after me until Carmilla was forced to re-join her. I think she decided to let me live to keep Carmilla on side but I could never get close to Carmilla to try and save her. I couldn’t even talk to her.’

He looked genuinely upset and reached out to touch Carmilla’s arm but thought better of it and gave me a feeble smile. He exhaled.

‘So as soon as I heard that Carmilla’s mother was dead and the Vampire Lords were on their way I decided to come here straight away,’ he concluded his tale.

‘So what do we do now?’ I asked.

‘Well we need to find that seventh talisman,’ he replied. ‘And find away of keeping the vampires and Vampire Lords out of campus. I suggest we find a witch or wizard to cast a barrier spell around the campus to contain any undead.’

‘Did you just say “witch or wizard”?’ I asked and he nodded, amused. ‘Of course you did. Are there werewolves too? Actually- don’t answer that!’ I stressed. ‘So how do we go about find a witch or wizard?’

‘Well they’re not listed in any phone book,’ Carmilla mumbled drily and sat up. ‘Maybe we should focus on getting the talisman back?’ she suggested. ‘You and I can get it tomorrow,’ she said to Edmund, who nodded.

‘And what do I do?’ I asked.

‘ _You_ go to class,’ replied Carmilla. I opened my mouth to protest but she lifted her hand up. ‘You came here to study and live a life. I intend for you to do just that, cupcake. You’re insane. Knowing you you’ll round up a army of idiotic young adults and try to fight off the six most powerful vampires of all time!’

I pouted. ‘It worked with your mother…’

‘Who was just one Vampire Lord with a few underlings. Trust me, Laura. You’re better off just leaving everything to us.’

‘Fine!’ I snapped. ‘Let’s see how well you do without me!’ I stormed off into the bathroom to brush my teeth.

I could hear them whispering and pressed my ear to the door but they suddenly stopped talking. I went back to the sink to finish brushing my teeth. By the time I went back into the room, Edmund had gone and Carmilla was rolled up under her covers. I got changed into my pyjamas, purposely keeping my back turned on her in case she decided to look. I was not in the mood for giving her a show.

I turned the light on a crawled into bed. It wasn’t long before Carmilla slid into bed with me and started hugging me.

‘Don’t be mad at me,’ she whispered. ‘I’m just trying to keep you safe.’

‘I know. I just want to help,’ I replied softly, turning round to face her.

She smiled uncertainly. ‘Well I’ll take it into consideration, OK? But in the mean time, I do want you to try and live a semi-normal life. I wish I could live a normal life with you but apparently that isn’t going to happen just yet. Let me sort all this out for the both of us. I had to live so long regretting what happened with Elle…I don’t want the same thing to happen to you.’

‘It won’t, Carm. I promise,’ I kissed her nose but she still looked uneasy.

‘No. I promise you, Laura. I’m going to make everything fine…’ her bottom lip trembled. ‘I-I-lo…’

I laced my fingers through hers, smiling. ‘I love you too.’

She gave a relieved sigh. ‘I’m not very good at expressing myself,’ she admitted, embarrassed.

‘I guessed that,’ I giggled. ‘You’re lucky you have me then aren’t you?’

She nodded, looking very serious. ‘Yes. I am…goodnight, Laura.’

‘Goodnight, Carmilla.’

 

*

 

I woke up alone the next morning, much to my disappointment. Carmilla left a note explaining she was going off to meet Edmund and I grudgingly got ready for school. I was halfway buttoning up my shirt when the school alarm went off and I groaned, practically dragging my feet all the way to the hall. I saw no sign of Carmilla or LaFontaine but I saw Perry sitting in the front row and saw Danny in a row near the end with an empty seat next to her. I rushed to sit in it, thankful for a chance to speak to her.

‘Hey!’ I said, sitting down and she gave me a confused look.

‘Hey. Where’s Elvira?’ she asked.

‘Dunno,’ I replied, straining my neck to see over the row in front. ‘How are you?’ I asked.

‘Fine. Still adjusting to the weirdness that is now our lives but there you go,’ she smiled but I could tell it was a lot of work. ‘I know it’s a bit early but have you guys figured anything out regarding the man-eating light entity?’

Dean Moore walked onto the stage before I could reply and announced that all the Zetas would be doing community service for a week because of the party last night. The Zetas were furious but Moore was having none of it, deciding to make an example of them for their protests and double the amount of time they’d be doing community service to a fortnight. We were dismissed and Danny and me walked together to Lit-Class.

‘Bit strict isn’t he?’ I commented.

‘Yeah. Apparently he hired two hundred extra security guards before term started,’ Danny replied and I stopped in my tracks. It took her a few seconds to notice that I wasn’t walking with her anymore and turned to me, frowning. ‘What?’

‘He hired two hundred security guards for the university? Doesn’t that seem a bit excessive?’ I asked.

She shrugged. ‘They’re just being careful after what happened with all the disappearances.’

I shook my head. ‘Nah-uh. This is a small campus. We do not need an extra two hundred security guards.’

‘Does it really matter?’

‘Yes! Of course it matters! How does it not matter? Something isn’t right and you’re just ignoring it!’ I said angrily.

She raised her eyebrows. ‘Are you sure you’re not just looking for weird stuff?’ she asked. ‘Not everything is a secret sinister act y’know? You’re so paranoid.’

I was frustrated now. The Danny I knew before me and Carmilla became “a thing” would be suspicious of the large number of additional guards or at least be a bit more open to the idea that something might be going on but now she just seemed determined not to get involved in anything slightly out of the ordinary! She looked around, looking nervous that someone might be watching us. Is she embarrassed by my “paranoia”?

‘Whatever it is you’re doing can you just keep me out of it?’ she pleaded and walked away, leaving me with aggravated tears stinging my eyes.

Someone grabbed my arm and I filched.

‘Are you OK?’ asked Perry, concerned.

‘No. Something strange is going on with these security guards and the new Dean and Danny won’t believe me!’ I cried.

Perry bit her bottom lip. ‘Well I do admit it’s all a bit…odd,’ she said.

‘Aha!’ I jumped back, pointing at her. ‘Even you admit something is strange! So why can’t she?’

Perry gave me an unreadable expression. ‘Really? You don’t know why she wants to keep out of it?’

My stomach churned. ‘Err…because of Carmilla?’

‘Duh! Look, Danny really liked you and she lost you to some…”sexy” vampire girl who we all believed wanted to eat you,’ said Perry and blushed. ‘Bite you! Bite you! Not- augh! You know what I mean!’

‘Just because Carmilla and me are together now doesn’t mean Danny should be so bent on being unhelpful! No one else is going to do it!’ I replied crossly. ‘Where’s LaFontaine? I could use JP to hack into the school’s files and find out where Moore hired those guards.’

‘Oh. She’s gone off with Carmilla and some guy called Edmund. They turned up at our room this morning,’ replied Perry and I glared.

‘So Carmilla won’t let me go but will take LaFontaine?!’ I screamed and threw my hands up in the air. ‘What is wrong with everyone today?’

‘Well-’ Perry began nervously. ‘Err- you clearly know more than I do at the moment. Why don’t you tell me about it after class?’

‘I’m not going to class,’ I announced, determined. ‘If I can’t do some hacking I might as well go to the library and Google our new Dean! You never know, I might find something interesting. Like he’s a mad scientist and all the guards are his loyal grunts! See you later!’ and I ran off.

‘Laura!’ Perry called after me but I ignored her.

As LaFontaine once said: “I’m on a mission, girl!”

 


	4. Memories

**Chapter Four**

**Memories**

_Carmilla_

 

Sleep for a vampire is different than sleep for a human- or so I imagine. It’s been so long since I was a human I’ve forgotten what sleep used to be like. Every night I close my eyes and I relive certain memories as if I were there again. It’s a strange sensation. I’m aware that I’m in a dream and I can remember everything that will happen but I never change the events. Maybe I can’t. Sometimes it’s like a play. We say the same things and we play out the scene as it has been written. I have lived a long time and have been through much so you can imagine what it’s like to relive those experiences. It’s why I tend to sleep for so long, trapped by memories of the past. Imagine going to sleep and waking up as a five year old, aware of everything that is going to happen. Then imagine waking up, living your life and going to sleep only to wake up as a ten year old and relive another random day.

It never happens in chronological order but it never disorients me. Most vampires don’t start dreaming of past experiences until they reach at least a hundred years old but some start as early as fifty. I am one of those who developed this trait early on and in a strange way I believe it is a blessing. The first time you relive all your memories in one night and some vampires have known to go insane because of it and with all the darkness in my life I’m sure I would have been one of them if I had relived my first hundred years. The fifty years I had relived weren’t particularly enjoyable but it wasn’t enough to break me. I did become a bit jumpy but my mother had helped me through it- one of the rare times she showed me genuine kindness.

_‘You have to focus on the now,’ she told me, holding me down as I trashed about, screaming. ‘Marcilla! Focus! Push those memories out and focus on me! Do it, you stupid girl!’_

_‘It hurts!’ I cried. ‘It hurts so much, mother! Please kill me! Please!’_

_‘You have many more years to live, girl,’ she replied. ‘You have many more years left but you have to be s_ trong _.’_

She pulled me through the darkness of my past only to throw me into future horrors to create new darker memories. The particular memory I was remembering during my sleep was a memory from 1956. It had been two years since the last ritual sacrifice and my mother and I were in London to lay low. London back then was a gritty, gloomy place. Grey clouds often flooded the skies and it rained more than not. London was a big enough that vampires could create their own small communities, complete with “clubs”. The biggest and busiest club was called The Blood House, a place where vampires could go to drink from humans and, if they wanted, to have sex.

_‘What do you think, Marcilla?’ my mother asked me as we entered the building._

_I quickly scanned the building. There were men and women trapped in cages suspended above the throng of vampires sitting down on the seats on the bottom floor, drinking blood from glasses and talking amongst themselves. There was a stage where a woman stood, completely naked with several vampires biting her neck, arms and thighs. She showed no sign of discomfort and I wondered whether or not she had been hypnotised to not register pain. Certain vampires had the ability to hypnotise humans but I wasn’t one of them. The building had clearly once been a theatre but had been renovated for vampire use._

_‘They could have done better with the colour scheme,’ I responded drily._

_It was true. The only colour that they had bothered to decorate the building with was a murky grey. My mother didn’t react to my comment and walked to join the crowd of vampires. Those who saw her immediately bowed to show their respect and a few also bowed to me. I gave them short nods, moving wordlessly to keep up with my mother._

_‘Miss Lilith!’ said a vampire, standing and bowing. ‘And your beautiful daughter, Marcilla,’ he bowed to me as well. ‘So happy to see you both.’_

_He was a skinny man with a thick black beard, now stained with blood. He clicked his fingers and a pair of vampires brought a very pretty blonde to us, unbitten and bound tightly._

_‘This is our latest catch,’ the vampire informed us. ‘Fresh from the streets. Isn’t she pretty?’_

_‘I wouldn’t know,’ my mother replied, uninterested. ‘You should ask Marcilla. She favours the female form, don’t you, Marcilla?’_

_A few of the men vampires laughed. I nodded silently._

_‘Do not mind them, Marcilla,’ the vampire smiled. ‘Sir Jonathan there has nothing to laugh about. He tends to drink from his servant boys back at his mansion, don’t you?’_

_Sir Jonathan, who was still laughing, nodded. ‘Do not worry, Marcilla,’ he said. ‘It is all in good fun. Only the humans have set opinions on what is right when it comes to their sexuality. Maybe one day they will realise that what they often consider unnatural is completely natural. I look forward to seeing that day. What say you, Sir Henry?’_

_The vampire who had offered us the girl laughed heartily. ‘Human matters do not concern me. They are a means to an end. They are either potentials or they are food,’ he replied and I saw the girl flinch. ‘Would you like to take the young girl to a room to feed in private, Marcilla?’ he offered me the end of the rope and I took it._

_‘Feel free to play with yer food, lass,’ laughed a Scottish vampire and I tugged on the rope, the girl obeying silently._

_She followed me into a corridor and I found a vacant room. I closed the door and the girl started to cry silently. I rolled my eyes._

_‘Oh stop that,’ I said and untied her._

_‘Please do not hurt me, miss,’ she pleaded; falling to her knees and started tugging on my dress. ‘Please do not harm me!’_

_I pulled her up. ‘Stop it! I’m not going to eat you. Just shut up.’_

_She pressed her lips together and nodded, tears still falling down her cheeks._

_‘They’re going to kill you,’ I informed her and she gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth. ‘They cannot just let you go and they’re too lazy to hypnotise the ones that aren’t killed during feeding.’_

_‘Are you to kill me out of mercy?’ she asked, backing away._

_‘No. I am going to save you…’ I replied uneasily. I bit into my wrist and offered it to her. ‘Drink from me. When you die you will be revived and will become one of us.’_

_She shook her head. ‘I do not want to become a monster,’ she sneered. ‘I will not become one of you.’_

_My nostrils flared. ‘You either become one of us or you die!’_

_‘I will die anyway. If I become one of you I shall hand myself over and I will inform the people of this place. You shall all burn!’_

_‘Please!’ I begged. ‘I am trying to save you. They will kill you! You do not know what that is like!’_

_She spat at the floor. ‘What do you know of death? You are alive aren’t you?!’_

_I felt a shiver go up my spine and I shuddered. ‘I remember what it is like to die. I remember those moments where I was dead.’_

_She gave me an indecipherable expression. ‘What was it like? Death?’_

_I took a deep breath, forcing myself to remember. ‘At first there is a bright light and you begin to believe that all those fantastical tales of heaven and God are true…but then the light shatters all around you and you are left with endless darkness. It swallows you whole and there is nothing. No sound, no light. You cannot even see your own hands and you cannot hear yourself scream.’_

_Her unreadable expression turned into one of fear._

_‘Time has no meaning in the darkness,’ I continued. ‘I thought I had been trapped there for days…weeks possibly. But then I felt something grab me and pull me through the darkness and that darkness was replaced by a blinding light and I found myself alive and immortal,’ I smiled, feeling my own eyes begin to water. ‘I was so glad I was free. So please, let me help you.’_

_She swallowed and shook her head. ‘No. I do not wish to become one of you. You may have left that darkness behind, but you have become a bringer of darkness. An angel of death and I do not wish to condemn innocents to that prison.’_

_I felt sick at her word. ‘What is your name?’ I asked._

_‘Elizabeth Moore,’ she replied._

_‘I am sorry…Elizabeth,’ I said and I struck her around the head, knocking her out. I had to bite my wrist again because the wound had now healed and I dapped the blood on her neck to make it look like I had bitten her. I gathered her up in my arms and walked out of the room._

_I hoped that the noise from the main room would drown out the sound of Elizabeth’s beating heart as I walked through the crowd._

_‘Would you like me to get someone to dispose of her for you, Marcilla?’ asked Sir Henry._

_‘No thank you, Sir Henry,’ I shook my head. ‘My kill. I will dispose of her myself,’ and I walked to the back entrance and into a dirty alley._

_It was raining again and I had to jump awkwardly over the brick wall to enter a labyrinth of alleyways. When I decided that there was enough distance between The Blood House and us, I laid Elizabeth on the floor and tapped her face until she began to stir. I was gone by the time she had awoken. Mother and I didn’t stay much longer and we returned to our Inn. The lack of blood was painful and I had to sneak out to feed from a cat. It wasn’t enough and tasted disgusting but it would suffice. The Blood House was burnt down two nights later. There were only a few saviours but they had to leave the city for their identities were now known. Mother and I also fled just to be safe. Mother could not understand how the humans had discovered The Blood House and I never revealed to her how I had let Elizabeth go. I had no doubt that if she knew I was responsible for all those vampire deaths that she would have ripped my heart out._

_It was less than twenty years later that I met Elle…_

*

I woke up, now free of my mental prison. I was spooning Laura and I kissed the back of her head softly before silently getting up, washed and dressed. It was barely sunrise, the sky full of pale purples and apricot. Not wanting to wake Laura up, I decided that I would eat later and left the room. Edmund was waiting for me at the entrance of our building and he smiled warmly at me.

‘Good night sleep?’ he asked.

‘Not particularly,’ I replied and we walked down the stone steps. ‘How about you?’

He shrugged. ‘Not bad. So what’s the plan?’

‘I guess we’ll go get LaFontaine and JP,’ I replied. ‘JP is a ghost on a USB stick,’ I added and his face fell. ‘I know right? It’s weird but if the guy I sold the talisman to has sold it of, I’m sure they could hack into his system and find out who has it.’

We went off to LaFontaine and Perry’s dorm. I knocked on the door and annoyingly it was Perry who answered.

‘Oh! Carmilla! What are you doing here? And who is this?’ she looked Edmund. ‘Hello. I’m Lola Perry but everyone calls me Perry,’ she offered him her hand and he shook it.

‘Hello. I’m Edmund. I’m an old friend of Carmilla’s,’ he said and her face dropped. He smiled. ‘Yes. I’m a vampire.’

‘Carmilla has friends?’ asked Perry and I glared. She noticed. ‘Err- LaFontaine? Carmilla is here for you.’

LaFontaine came to the door, confused and still in her pyjamas. ‘What’s up?’

‘Get dressed. We need you and JP to help us out. Bring you laptop. We might need it,’ I said quickly. ‘It will help with the light and my mother.’

She didn’t ask any more questions and went to get dressed. She soon returned with her laptop and JP’s USB.

‘Don’t wait up,’ LaFontaine said to Perry and we left.

‘So what’s going on?’ she asked. ‘Why isn’t Laura coming?’

I explained the situation and, to my surprise, she didn’t seem fazed.

‘Well this should make things a bit more interesting,’ she mused.

‘That’s not how I would describe our situation,’ I muttered.

Edmund walked us to a blue Fiat Panda and I raised my eyebrows.

‘Seriously? A Fix-It-Later Panda?’ I asked. ‘Couldn’t get a more stylish car?’

‘Not everyone inherited a fortune from their psychopathic vampire mother,’ replied Edmund sharply.

‘Never thought I’d hear that sentence out loud,’ remarked LaFontaine and we got inside the car.

We didn’t talk much on the way to the shop except for when I had to give Edmund directions. We arrived in about fifteen minutes and Edmund parked right outside the shop. We got out and entered, the owner looking up from his newspaper and he smiled at me.

‘Ah! Young lady! Back to sell more goods?’ he asked.

‘Actually I’m here to buy the talisman I sold to you back,’ I replied.

‘Ah…I’m afraid I’ve already sold it,’ he said.

‘Any chance you have a name and address on your computer?’ I asked, nodding at the computer next to him but he shook his head.

‘I’m afraid that is impossible. I can’t give away my customer information,’ he replied.

‘So it wasn’t just a buyer then,’ said LaFontaine. ‘If you’ve got their details then you must have bought from them before.’

‘Yes but like I said, I can’t just give you their information,’ replied the shop owner irritably.

‘Is this a genuine 1392 Japanese Katana?’ asked Edmund from the other side of the shop and the shop owner walked over.

‘Oh yes! From one of the great sword masters,’ said the shop owner and LaFontaine took this chance to walk to the computer slowly and inserted JP’s USB inside. ‘Are you a fan of Katanas?’ he asked.

‘Does he know what he’s looking for?’ I asked LaFontaine.

She nodded. ‘He can always hear us,’ she whispered.

‘Because _that’s_ not creepy…’ I mumbled.

She pulled the USB out and stood next to me, trying to look completely innocent. She winked and I smiled. OK. I can’t stand Perry but LaFontaine is pretty useful. Maybe she could be a potential friend. Edmund and the shop owner spoke for a full ten minutes about the sword while LaFontaine and I waited. He was doing too well of a job of distracting the shop owner and I coughed, tapping my non-existent watch. Edmund nodded.

‘I’ll have to come back at some point,’ he told the shop owner. ‘I wasn’t expecting to see anything of interest.’

‘Of course,’ the shop owner replied. ‘Sorry I couldn’t be any help.’

‘That’s fine,’ I replied and we left, jumping in the car and drove off.

LaFontaine turned her laptop on and put in the USB.

‘JP says hi,’ said LaFontaine, not looking up from the screen.

‘Did he find what we’re looking for?’ I asked, looking over my shoulder at her.

‘Yeah- ten minutes away. Take the next left,’ she instructed.

We took another left and then a right before taking another left and following the road. We eventually came to the house and all three of us stepped out. It looked perfectly normal but that only put me on edge even more. After everything that has happened in the last few months a normal, seemingly harmless looking house was so unnatural and scary to me that I almost wanted to laugh at myself.

‘Let’s get this over and done with,’ I said and we walked up to the door and knocked.

No response.

I looked at Edmund and we both frowned. We could hear a heartbeat coming from inside but it was moving far too slowly and I sniffed…I could smell a lot of blood. We nodded to each other and I gestured to LaFontaine that she should step back. Edmund kicked the door in and we stepped inside. There were two bodies on the floor- a man and a woman. Sitting in one of the seats was a young vampire. He sprung up, pale as a sheet.

‘You’re- you’re-’ he sputtered at the sight of me.

‘Carmilla and I want the talisman,’ I sneered.

‘Right…’ he reached for the inside of his pocket but then slapped the lamp next to him towards us. The lamp struck Edmund across the face and he shouted, his hands flying to his face.

The young vampire sped out the back door and I chased after him. He didn’t get far and I tackled him in the backyard. He managed to throw me off, sending me crashing into the shed. I picked myself up, my legs shaking.

‘You OK there?’ Edmund called from the back door.

The young vampire turned to look at him and then me.

‘You’re not getting out of here, mate,’ said Edmund. ‘Might as well give us the talisman now.’

‘When I could give it to the Vampire Lords?’ he laughed and pointed at me. ‘She isn’t looking too great.’

‘I can still kick your ass, newbie,’ I sneered.

He laughed and I hissed before launching myself at him. He charged towards me and we made contact. I was thrown off my feet and my back hit the ground. He jumped on top of me and his fist made contact with my cheek.

‘Want any help?’ asked Edmund.

‘No!’ I blocked the next punch and brought my palm up to his nose, breaking it. He brought his hands up to his nose, crying. I pushed him off me and got up, bringing my foot up in a swift kick. My foot made contact with his ribs and he was sent flying up into the air but not as high as I would have liked. The vampire tried to get up but I brought my foot down, pining him to the ground.

‘Going to give me the talisman now you little twerp?’ I asked and we suddenly heard LaFontaine scream.

Edmund sped off to the front of the house and I joined him. She looked terrified and pointed down the road.

‘There was another vampire and he- he had something in his hand. I think it was the talisman,’ she said and I ran back into the back yard but the other vampire had gone.

I cursed. Now we were never going to find them. Edmund walked up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder.

‘It’s fine. We’ll find them. There’s only so many places they can hide.’ I could tell he was trying to make me feel better but I was angry with myself. I had been so worried about what had happened to LaFontaine and what Laura would think if she had been hurt that I acted carelessly and now we had lost our only lead.

‘Let’s just get back in the car and see if we can see them,’ I said despite knowing that we’d never find them. They knew we were on to them now. They were going to hide a lot more effectively now.

He smiled weakly. ‘Sure thing, Raven.’

I blinked. ‘I haven’t heard you call me that in a long time.’

He hugged me. ‘I’ll be sure to say it a lot more from now on then.’

I closed my eyes and hesitantly returned the hug.

‘Thank you…’ 


	5. Mission Possible

**Chapter Five**

**Mission Possible**

_Laura_

 

The library was notorious for being a bit creepy. It somehow managed to feel ancient despite the addition of the latest computers and the various book posters on the walls. The whole library felt as though it wasn’t sure what time period it was in (but then again that was Silas all over). That all changed during the night though when it suddenly had a life of its own and it would change the layout to confuse those inside. Then the books would come alive and next thing you knew you’d be running away from a fiery tornado of death! As long I went home before sunset I would be fine. I chose my favourite spot in a secluded corner where I knew I wouldn’t be disturbed. The sound of fingers tapping on keyboards echoed through the aisles of dusty shelves, a small but comforting reminder that I wasn’t by myself. I logged into my student account and went straight to Google where I typed Dean Moore’s name.

I was surprised by just how much came up and I clicked on the first link.

**ACCESS DENIED- WEBSITE BLOCKED.**

**PLEASE CONTACT THE TECHNICIAN.**

I went page the results page and clicked on the second link.

**ACCESS DENIED- WEBSITE BLOCKED.**

**PLEASE CONTACT THE TECHNICIAN.**

‘OK…’ I muttered. ‘Are you going to do that for every website?’ I asked testily.

It did and it resulted with me banging my head on the table repeatedly. Why would all the websites be blocked?! I went through the first three pages an every single one of them were blocked! Clearly there was something he didn’t want us to know. I blew my hair out of my face and leaned back into my chair, frustrated. Suddenly Kirsch was sitting next to me, leaning on the desk and grinning at me.

‘What’s up, Laura?’ he asked.

‘Oh….nothing,’ I replied miserably. ‘I was just trying to look up our new Dean of Students but every website is blocked!’

‘So why don’t you use a proxy website?’ he asked.

‘A what?’ I asked, shocked. Did Kirsch know something I didn’t?!

He grinned and lent over my keyboard, opened a new tab and typed in a website. He went back to the original tab and went to the first website I tried and copied the URL. He then pasted the URL into the website’s search bar. Suddenly the website changed to the one I wanted to go on.

‘How did you know about that?’ I asked.

‘Me and my friends used to use them all the time in our Computer Tech lessons at school,’ he replied. ‘We used them to watch lesbian porn during lessons.’

‘Of course you did,’ I grimaced. ‘I’m also not sure how a group of teenage boys find watching lesbian porn together a turn on.’

‘Lesbians are hot, Laura,’ he said then raised his eyebrows. ‘Hey…you and Carmilla haven’t got any-’

‘ _No!_ ’ I snapped and he held his hands up to protect himself, laughing.

I turned away from him and started reading.

_Bentley Moore was born 23 rd of May 1973 in Surrey, England. Growing up, he learnt several forms of martial arts and earned several belts and awards. He studied at Kingston College before joining the army at the age of nineteen…_

I skimmed the rest of it. Turns out our Dean had been involved with one tour in Iraq and was a specialist in using weapons like knives and guns. He was even trained in different sword fighting styles (including the way of the samurai) and was an expert tracker. Apparently you can do a lot in life if you’re dedicated enough. Why would he suddenly decide to go into education and how did he manage to become a Dean so quickly? This wasn’t going to be enough. I needed to do some more digging.

I turned to Kirsch, smiling sweetly at him. ‘Kirsch…you know how much you love me?’ I said and he grinned. ‘Want to help me do some digging around Dean Moore’s office?’

‘Yeah sure,’ he shrugged. I don’t even think he took a second to consider it. ‘What do you need?’

‘I need you to get into the Dean’s office and to see if there’s anything strange in there,’ I replied. ‘And to do that you’re going to have to misbehave.’

He laughed. ‘Are you kidding? Misbehave is my middle name! Actually it’s Gerald but there you go.’

‘What is it with people and weird middle names?’ I wondered aloud as I logged out.

We left the library in search for Dean Moore. We headed straight for his office but we never made it. Rather surprisingly we saw him by the fountain scolding two girls for some unheard reason. He jumped into the bushes where we hatched our plan. I had to remind Kirsch at least several times what to be on the lookout for while he was in Dean Moore’s office before he finally got it. I even made him repeat it to me just to be sure.

‘Excellent,’ I gave him a thumbs up and he gave me one too before running out the bush.

I watched as he ran towards the fountain and jumped in, splashing Dean Moore and the two girls he was scolding.

‘WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!’ shouted Dean Moore, furious.

Kirsch stood up, grinning stupidly at him. ‘Just having some fun, Dean Moore! C’mon, Sir! Jump in!’

‘Get out of there right now!’ insisted Dean Moore. Kirsch jumped out of the fountain and Dean Moore grabbed him by the arm and led him away…the only problem was that he was going the exact _opposite_ way of his office.

‘What are you doing?!’ I thought aloud and tried my best to sneakily follow them.

‘Err- Sir? Shouldn’t we be going to your office?’ asked Kirsch, looking back at me.

‘What? So you can make my carpet and chairs all wet?’ snapped Dean Moore. ‘No. We’re going straight to your room!’

Kirsch looked mortified and I could only give him a pitiful look. What could I do? I didn’t want Moore to know I was investigating him. I mouthed an apology to Kirsch and dashed out of sight before Moore noticed Kirsch was looking back at me for help.  I ran to the Maths department building and slapped my forehead.

‘That was a stupid plan, Laura!’ I scolded myself, receiving a few perplexed looks from people passing by. I quickly walked off, my head down to avoid eye contact.

No! It wasn’t a complete waste! If Dean Moore was in Kirsch’s room that meant that his office was left unattended! I could totally sneak in there and have a look around! I practically ran towards his office, my small size making it perfect for me to slide through groups of people in the corridors. Unfortunately I hadn’t taken into account that Moore might have a secretary. The previous Dean didn’t have one and if you waned to see her (which you never did) then you had to make an appointment with Student Services.

She was a very pretty lady with fiery red hair tied up in a bun and the brightest red lipstick I had ever seen. Her dress from what I could see was _very_ tight fitting. There was no way she was going to let me in and even then she’d only report to Moore that I had requested to see him after sending me on my way. I had seen outside that all of the office’s windows had been decorated with sticky back plastic, making it almost impossible to see inside. So today had been a complete waste. There was no way I could get inside and trying to look inside from the windows would be a waste of time. If only there was another way to get inside that he wouldn’t expect.

Maybe this place had conveniently roomy vents that I could crawl into but I doubted that very much. Maybe I would have to let the others know of my suspicions and we could work out a plan together. Somehow I couldn’t imagine Carmilla taking my suspicions seriously but I had to try. I dragged my feet all the way back to my dorm room, feeling defeated. I really wanted to do this on my own just so I could prove that I didn’t need babying. Danny did that to me and now it felt like Carmilla was doing the same by not letting me go with her, Edmund and LaFontaine.

If only there were a way inside his office! A TARDIS or an Invisibility Cloak would be very handy right about now.

‘You look miserable,’ Carmilla said once I walked in, sitting on her bed with Edmund while LaFontaine was sitting on the desk chair.

‘Oh! What are you guys doing here?’ I asked.

‘The talisman is gone and the vampires who took it got away. We looked around the place they were staying but there wasn’t anything to tell us who they were and driving around was a bust,’ LaFontaine answered bluntly and I gave a questioning look to Carmilla who just shook her head and rolled her eyes. ‘What’s got you in a rut?’ LaFontaine asked as I sat on my bed.

‘Oh…I did some snooping into Dean Moore but I need to get into his office,’ I replied and Carmilla straightened up slightly, curious. ‘He has a secretary so I couldn’t get in through the front door and all the windows have been fitted with sticky back plastic so we can’t look inside. His history is pretty interesting. He’s been trained in all sorts of marital arts and he even joined the British Army.’

‘Sounds like he could take on a vampire quite easily,’ mused Edmund.

I noticed Carmilla’s expression shift almost at once. She looked nervous.

‘Are you OK?’ I asked.

‘Yeah,’ she replied. ‘There is a way we can get into his office,’ she added. ‘There’s a skylight on the roof. We can get in that way,’ and she stood up. ‘Let’s go.’

‘What? Right now?’ asked LaFontaine.

‘Yeah! Right now!’

‘He’s most probably back there by now,’ I said. ‘He took Kirsch off to his room to tell him off for jumping in the water fountain but I can’t imagine that would have taken long.’

LaFontaine raised her hand. ‘Aren’t we forgetting the obvious? His living quarters? Wouldn’t he have something suspicious there too?’

‘What are we even looking for?’ asked Edmund.

‘Vampire slaying stuff,’ replied Carmilla and we all looked at her. She pointed at me. ‘You think something strange is going on too! That’s why you looked into him and he has all this training? Demon Light is about to do something horrible and suddenly British Rambo turns up as the Dean?’

‘You’ve watched Rambo?’ asked Edmund, surprised and Carmilla flipped him the bird.

I jumped up, excited. ‘I’m so happy you agree with me! Where are the living quarters for the professors?’ I asked.

‘I dunno,’ she shrugged. ‘My mother slept upside down from the ceiling in her office.’

‘Oh,’ my happiness and enthusiasm came to a screeching halt. ‘So we know we need to search his room we just don’t know where it is.’

‘It’s most probably off campus,’ said LaFontaine.

‘I don’t think so,’ said Carmilla. ‘If he is who I think he is then I’m sure he’d want to stick around.’

‘Who do you think he is?’ Edmund and I asked simultaneously.

She looked uncomfortable. ‘It’s a long story. It involves my mother and this place called The Blood House,’ she seemed to be avoiding Edmund’s stern look.

‘And what is The Blood House?’ asked LaFontaine.

‘It’s a blood whore house,’ answered Edmund. ‘Or at least it was. It was burnt to the ground years and years ago. What were you doing there?’ he asked Carmilla.

‘My mother dragged me there, OK? I didn’t do anything! I actually saved a girl. She had the last name Moore. Dean Moore might be a descendant of her.’

‘So you think he’s from a family of trained vampire hunters after you saved a girl from a blood whore house?’ I asked, feeling sick. ‘It can never be puppies and rainbows with you can it?’

‘It wasn’t like I has much choice. Would you have preferred it if I had have killed the girl?’ Carmilla snapped.

‘No!’ I replied.

‘Maybe,’ replied Edmund and we all glared at him. ‘Sorry but I’m not too thrilled with having a stake in my heart because Carmilla decided to be Supergirl for one night.’

‘I came first. Supergirl wishes she could be me,’ snarled Carmilla. ‘No one else looks this good in leather pants.’

I nodded in agreement before realising what I was doing. LaFontaine smirked at me and I blushed.

‘So what are we doing?’ I asked. ‘Are we breaking into his office or are we looking for where he lives?’

‘Breaking into his office would most probably be easier,’ answered LaFontaine. ‘We could always look into where he lives later. His office is literally just round the corner.’

‘I think it’s more likely he has something in there anyway,’ I admitted. ‘It would explain why he came to our room rather than call us to his and why he took Kirsch back to his dorm rather than take him to his office.’

‘OK. Then we’ll go tonight,’ Carmilla decided. ‘We can sneak up onto the roof and I can jump down into the office. If anyone comes I can always just right back out.’

‘Actually…’ said Edmund. ‘Maybe we could tackle both? Laura and LaFontaine could sneak into his office tonight and we could always follow him back to his place,’ he suggested.

‘And how do you suggest we go in through the skylight?’ I asked. ‘I can’t do that vampire jumping thing.’

‘All you need is some rope to climb down,’ replied Edmund, shrugging.

Carmilla shook her head. ‘No. I want to stick with Laura. Plus we have all these new security guards roaming about the place. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were vampire hunters too.’

‘Kind of why I’m anxious to stay away,’ he admitted and Carmilla snarled.

‘You can always leave!’ she snapped. ‘I didn’t ask for you help.’

He stood up, annoyed. ‘That’s not what I’m saying! What I’m saying is that the hunters aren’t going to hurt Laura! She’s human! If they suspect we’re vampires- and they know you’re one because of those videos Laura made- then if they have a chance to stake us when there aren’t any witnesses then they’ll take it!’

‘That would explain why Moore put all those rules into effect,’ said LaFontaine. ‘If there aren’t any parties and we’re not allowed to leave campus after eight then what is everyone going to do? Spend their time in their dorms which leaves the corridors empty.’

‘But not everyone is going to stay in their dorms,’ said Carmilla.

‘With the new security guards they are,’ replied LaFontaine. ‘Have you seen what those guys are carrying around with them? No one wants to get on their bad side.’

‘So you think Edmund and I should go and follow Moore?’ asked Carmilla.

‘I think it’s the safest option for the two of you,’ LaFontaine admitted.

Carmilla looked annoyed and looked at me for help. I looked back uneasily. I didn’t want her to go off again but I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of her being attacked during the night. Maybe it would be best if she got a place off campus. What was stopping the hunters (if they were hunters) from coming into our dorm room one night to stake her? If I hadn’t of put my videos online then Carmilla would have been safe. Of course there were other people who knew about vampires and of course there were hunters! Back then I didn’t care because I was convinced Carmilla was trying to eat me but now I was realising I had just put a giant red target on her forehead for the rest of her life! Nothing left the Internet! Someone would still watch my videos in a hundred years from now. Had I endangered Carmilla’s life for all eternity now? How had this thought never crossed my mind?

Had Carmilla thought of this? I had even given up her little trick of rearranging the letters in her name to make a new one. Her face was now well known and her way of survival had been exposed. I had done that! I had brought Moore and his merry group of vampire hunters to Silas to kill my girlfriend! If anything happened to her then it would be all my fault!

‘Are you OK?’ asked Carmilla, frowning.

‘I think you should leave campus,’ I announced and she looked surprised. ‘They could come in at any time and kill you.’

‘But if I leave campus then we can’t find a wizard or witch to cast a barrier spell on the campus to keep us all safe,’ she replied. ‘I’m in more danger out there than I am here. This campus is full of vampire hunters and I have the Vampire Lords and their servants coming for me. I could always let them deal with it.’

‘But-’ I said, my voice weak. I looked at Edmund and LaFontaine desperately and they both took the hint, getting up and leaving us alone. ‘I don’t want anything to happen to you, Carm.’

She pulled me against her. ‘I can handle myself, Laura.’

‘But you couldn’t take us down when we attacked you,’ I reminded her.

‘You had another vampire helping you and I wasn’t expecting it,’ she replied. ‘I know what to expect. I’m not running away from this. I spent so much of my life running or just going along with someone else’s plans for me. I’m choosing to stay here to fight and to keep you safe.’

She cupped my face in her hands.

‘I’m standing my ground and I’m sticking by you. I’m going with you tonight and we’re going to do this together,’ she kissed me hard on the lips.

My eyes met hers when she pulled back. ‘I love you…’ I whispered and grabbed her hands, holding them tightly.

‘I…you know…’ she looked down, embarrassed.

‘I’ll get you to say it eventually,’ I smiled and she laughed briefly.

‘Yeah…eventually. When I start hugging teddy bears you know it’s time,’ she teased.

Kirsch arrived at our room shortly after. Surprisingly he didn’t seem to care that he had gotten into even more trouble for nothing.

‘He’s only going to write to my mum,’ he explained. ‘My mum doesn’t really care much so compared to the community service me and the other Zetas are doing it’s nothing.’

‘Zetas and I,’ Carmilla corrected him.

Kirsch grinned. ‘What? You’re helping us too, sexy lady?’

Carmilla rolled her eyes.

 

*

 

We waited until midnight before we decided to put our plan into action. With the new thought that all the security guards were potential vampire hunters we decided to leave our dorm room through the window in case there were any were stationed in our corridor. Carmilla picked me up and we climbed out the window, Carmilla landing on her feet with ease. She didn’t even stumble. We met Edmund, LaFontaine and Perry by Dean Moore’s windows.

‘I don’t like this idea!’ Perry hissed.

‘Tough,’ replied Carmilla, picking me up again. ‘See you up there,’ and she jumped us up onto the rooftop.

Edmund followed with LaFontaine and went back for Perry, who politely refused.

‘She said she’d take the stairs,’ Edmund told us, shrugging.

Carmilla rolled her eyes. ‘If she gets caught…’

‘She’ll be fine,’ I insisted. ‘How are we going to open it?’

Carmilla walked to the skylight and pulled her top off, much to the confusion of Edmund and LaFontaine. She wrapped her hand up in the top and punched through the skylight, pulling on the lever and opened it up.

‘That’s how, Buttercup,’ she said, pulling her top back on.

‘ _Are you crazy?! Someone could have heard that_!’ I whispered angrily.

‘You’re cute when you’re angry,’ she said playfully, picked me up and jumped down the hole. Edmund and LaFontaine joined us soon after and we started rummaging through Dean Moore’s stuff, each of us wearing the latex gloves I had provided. Carmilla and Edmund went through all the books while I tried the cabinet. LaFontaine went under the desk.

‘Err- guys?’ she reappeared from under the desk holding a wooden stake. ‘This was strapped to the bottom of the desk.’

Carmilla snatched it from her. ‘OK. He is a vampire hunter. Let’s kill him,’ she said to Edmund.

‘Sure,’ he nodded.

‘What?! No! You can’t just kill our Dean!’ I protested.

‘Why? You killed the last one,’ replied Carmilla.

‘She’s got you there,’ said LaFontaine.

I threw her a dirty look. ‘Yeah? Well this Dean isn’t a mass murdering vampire!’

‘No. He just wants to kill me!’ snapped Carmilla.

‘I thought you were planning on letting him and his other vampire hunting buddies take care of the Vampire Lords,’ I reminded her. ‘We could explain the situation.’

‘He has a stake in his office! I was just trying to calm you down. We kill Moore, we get rid of his little friends and then we find someone who can create a barrier to keep us all safe. It’s that simple!’ Carmilla argued.

‘If you go for the barrier then you’ll never be able to leave Silas! Those Vampire Lords could literally spend fifty years waiting outside that barrier for you to get bored and just leave!’ I replied heatedly.

Edmund and LaFontaine edged away from us, looking alarmed.

‘They’re meant to be a couple right?’ asked Edmund.

‘Yeah…I didn’t think couples argued this much,’ replied LaFontaine.

‘We are not arguing!’ Carmilla and I both bellowed at them.

I turned back to Carmilla. ‘You can’t just go around killing people!’

‘I’m not just going around killing people! I just want to kill the people who are a threat to me!’ she spat.

‘But if we explain the situation he might not kill you and instead decide to help with the Vampire Lords _and_ the Light Demon!’

She laughed harshly. ‘Yeah. Right. You were never chased by an angry mod with pitchforks! You were never tied to a wooden pole to be burnt alive! I know how people react to vampires! It’s the equivalent to Hitler with the Jews!’

‘Not all humans hate vampires!’

‘And not all Germans were Nazis! My point still stands! We kill him the first chance we get!’ Carmilla said sternly.

‘Should we tell them that they’re yelling?’ LaFontaine asked Edmund.

‘I’m more worried by the footsteps I can hear heading our way,’ said Edmund and the door shook.

Someone was unlocking it!

Carmilla grabbed me and Edmund grabbed LaFontaine and both jumped up through the skylight. They put us down on the floor just as we heard someone from the office shout. ‘They’re on the roof!’ said one of the security guards.

‘OK,’ I said, shaking. ‘We’re in trouble now.’

The door to the roof burst open. Carmilla and Edmund instantly began to hiss at the door, their fangs ready to tear into flesh but Perry came running out, white as a sheet.

‘They’re coming! I had to sneak around them but they’re heading this way!’ she wailed.

‘Great. One more person to carry off the roof!’ snapped Carmilla, throwing her hands up into the air. ‘Because there isn’t enough going on!’

Perry looked lost for words and visibly shaken.

‘Chill out,’ I muttered.

Edmund grabbed Perry’s arm and flung her over his shoulder. He then picked up LaFontaine, who wrapped her arms around his neck. He jumped off the roof but even his vampire powers couldn’t make it a smooth landing and we heard his groan as his legs hit the ground. Carmilla grabbed me and jumped, just as I saw two guards coming out the door. One grabbed his radio and started bellowing instructions.

Carmilla landed and immediately picked up a fallen Edmund, flinging him over her shoulder.

‘You heavy son of a bitch,’ she muttered and we started running back towards our dorm.

‘It’s all muscle,’ smiled Edmund.

‘Are you sure? I can smell cheeseburger on your breath,’ Carmilla replied sarcastically.

I heard the doors of the building burst open and I saw several guards heading our way.

‘We’re not going to get away in time!’ I cried.

‘Screw it,’ Carmilla threw Edmund on the floor. ‘Get him out of here!’ she ordered.

‘What are you going to do?’ I asked as Perry and LaFontaine awkwardly picked him up. They started walking slowly, Edmund’s broken legs unable to support him.

‘I’m going to kick some ass,’ she replied and dashed off.

‘No!’ I screamed after her.

‘Laura!’ barked Perry. ‘We need to go! Now!’

I was torn. I wanted to go help Carmilla but there wasn’t much I could do. I knew how to fight but I was half their size and without a weapon. I turned and saw Carmilla knocking one of the guards out with a punch to the temple.

They had seen us. They were a danger to her and Edmund’s safety but seeing her actually attack someone made me feel like someone had plunged a cold knife through my stomach. Carmilla threw the unconscious guard at one of the others, knocking him down. She span on the spot, her leg extended in a powerful kick that knocked one of the guards charging at her down. She hissed at the remaining guards, her pearly fangs exposed.

‘Take her down!’ I heard one of the guards demand.

They each charged at her with their batons but she jumped effortlessly over them. She landed gracefully like a cat and turned to face her attackers. They didn’t stop and charged again. I knew as long as they outnumbered her like that she wouldn’t have much of a chance to strike. They each took a swing at Carmilla but she evaded their attacks easily. I took one deep breath, quickly deciding what to do and ran towards them.

‘Laura!’ cried Perry.

Adrenaline shot through me as I ran, the air licking my face as my hair blew behind me. One of the guards noticed me and froze, unsure what to do. Maybe it was because I was human or maybe if was because I barely came up to his chest but he seemed apprehensive on attacking me. Unfortunately for him I didn’t share the same feelings.

‘Wha-’ he began to say but I brought my palm up to his nose, breaking it.

He cried out, his nose gushing with blood. This distracted a few of the other guards, giving Carmilla a perfect chance to attack them. She pushed one away, her vampire strength sending him flying backwards into a tree. Her vampire reflexes allowed her to attack the other two distracted guards before they had even noticed what was happening. The other guards all brought down their batons to attack her but I tackled one, knocking one of the others down as we bumped into him. This wasn’t a very graceful fight but at least I was doing something!

Carmilla punched the last guard standing in the face and he fell to the ground instantly. Carmilla knocked the fallen guard out and pulled me off the last conscious guard, swiftly kicking him across the face, rendering him unconscious.

‘Now what?’ I asked.

‘Well you won’t let me kill them so we’re going to have to put them somewhere until this all blows over or we can find a wizard or witch to modify their memories,’ answered Carmilla. ‘We can also use them to get information,’ she added.

‘Right…OK….where do we put them?’ I asked.

She smiled. ‘I know a place.’

 


	6. Chapter 6: Backfire

**Chapter Six**

**Backfire**

 

_Carmilla_

 

‘ _This_ is your great idea?!’ Laura asked when we finally finished tying the unconscious guards up.

It had been a difficult job to cram all the guards into Edmund’s car and even more difficult to get them all into the now vacant house without being seen but somehow we did it. Edmund and I had buried the corpse when we found it earlier in the basement but I could still smell it through the floorboards.

We had decided it would be best to tie the guards in the deceased owner’s bedroom upstairs in case any of the neighbours looked in.

‘And _why_ do you have rope, handcuffs, cable ties, _and_ duct tape?’ she added as I tied the final knot.

I grinned. ‘I have a ball gag too but that was meant to be a surprise.’

She looked terrified.

‘I’m kidding, dork!’ I lied. _Great. I’m going to have to return that at some point…most probably the bondage tape too by the looks of it._ ‘What’s the problem? We need a place to hide these guys and it’s an empty house.’

Somehow I don’t think that was what she wanted to hear. Why was she getting so uptight about this? It made perfect sense! We needed a place to hide the guards and we had a perfect place to hide them! No one would think to look for them here! Maybe she was just too sensitive…or am I too insensitive? Do normal people care about this sort of thing?

‘You were pretty badass earlier,’ I said and I saw the corners of her mouth twitch. ‘You wanna smile,’ I teased.

‘Shut up,’ she hid her face with her hair. She stood up and walked to the window to look outside. ‘It’s a nice neighbourhood.’

I started to rip off strips of duct tape and placed them on the mouths of all the guards.

‘We’ll leave them overnight and come see them tomorrow afternoon,’ I told her. ‘We’ll give them some time to think about their situation.’

‘Thank you,’ said Laura unexpectedly and I looked at her, puzzled. She was smiling weakly at me. ‘For not killing them.’

‘Yeah…it was no problem,’ I replied, trying not to feel guilty. I had wanted to kill them and had only held back because I didn’t want Laura to see me as a monster.

I would inevitably have to kill them at some point. They knew what Edmund and I were! They would stake us in a heartbeat if they could. Despite what movies, TV shows and novels would like you to believe, vampire hunters aren’t actually a big problem when it comes to the real world. Not many people know of our existence and those who do aren’t often trained to fight us. It’s why our way of living means so much to our survival. We eat and kill, removing all threats.

Now I know you’re wondering why I let Laura to film everything back when my mother was alive.

Let’s face it, to anyone outside of Silas it all looks like a one-camera production web series and a huge advertising campaign for the University, meaning any posts on Twitter, Tumblr or even Facebook would just be seen as such. I was never worried about people seriously believing I was a vampire but now I’m starting to wish I had put a stop to it. I could have saved us a whole lot of trouble by smashing that stupid computer at the start, although I’m sure Edmund would argue I could have saved us all this trouble by killing Elizabeth all those years ago.

Maybe I was getting soft. In theory I should have killed Elizabeth when she was given to me but my pride and distaste for the Blood House stopped me. I hated the way they treated the humans in there and I had been determined to rebel any way I could, even if it was only a small act of rebellion. That rebellion had caused many vampires their lives, not that I had cared. I still don’t. They deserved it.

But then there was Elle and I found myself unable to give her up. I fought against my mother only to lose and be sealed away in a coffin full of blood. Even after I had escaped and ended back in my mother’s care I still fought against her in small way and now I was feeling shame for needing to kill just because I know Laura would disapprove? Oh God…am I becoming what I used to mock?

I’m turning into a gay version of Edward Cullen aren’t I? I’m going to start sparkling in the sun and looking like I’m trying to pass a kidney stone. Someone stake me now!

‘Are you OK?’ I heard Laura ask, pulling me away from my train of thought.

‘Yeah. Just thinking,’ I replied.

‘I guess we should get back to Silas. You most probably haven’t eaten much today have you?’ she asked and I shook my head.

It’s true I hadn’t eaten much today but I didn’t feel hungry, which was suddenly worrying. I had only drunk from one blood bag and that was around lunch. Usually I needed at least three blog bags just to stop the cravings. That never fully fed me but it worked.

Back when Laura wasn’t aware that I was a vampire I had to deal with just a few mouthfuls from the milk carton at a time, which is why I used to be so irritable but I mellowed out once I could drink to my heart’s content.

How much had I been drinking lately? Not that much when on the Silas Campus. One or two bags a day? Even then that would only be when I woke up and when I went to sleep so maybe I was only eating out of habit?

When was the last time I had been hungry? When was the last time I had enjoyed a blood bag? Why was I only realising this now?

‘Yeah. Let’s get back,’ I said and quickly left.

Laura soon joined me in the car and we headed towards Silas. Laura made me stop so she could buy a couple of pizzas for everyone as a way of apologising for putting everyone in danger. She was so damn cute sometimes and it annoyed me. I shouldn’t be using the word “cute” to describe anything. I might as well hand in my vampire card and go live in a crappy hut on the beach. Actually that could be fun. I could chase people away from my hut with a stick.

*

‘So how you feeling, pansy?’ I asked Edmund once Laura and I walked into our room.

Edmund was sitting on my bed, three empty blood bags sat next to him. He flipped me off and I laughed.

‘My legs are all healed,’ he told us. ‘LaFontaine and Perry have gone back to their room. I think Perry was freaked out a bit and when I say “a bit” I mean a lot.’

Laura looked at the pizza boxes in her hands, disheartened.

‘Why don’t you go take their pizzas to them?’ I suggested and she smiled.

‘Yeah! I’ll say it’s comfort food or something,’ she said and put three boxes on her bed and took the other two with her to give to Perry and LaFontaine.

‘Have you been feeling hungry lately?’ I asked Edmund once Laura had left.

He looked confused. ‘Err-yeah? Why?’

‘I’m not hungry. I’m not sure when the last time I felt hungry was! I eat but I never feel like I need to. I feed because I’ve always fed but the cravings aren’t there! When I first moved in with Laura I only had a few mouthfuls and I got irritable as hell!’ I told him, suddenly feeling sick. ‘And that fight with that other vampire? What if it isn’t because I hadn’t had any blood? Maybe there’s something wrong with me?’

‘You’re just stressed,’ he replied, not looking convinced. ‘What you’re describing is you’re losing your vampire powers but we know that’s not the case. Even with one blood bag today you kicked those hunters’ butts! Besides, there’s no cure for vampirism.’

I shook my head. ‘You mean there’s no known cure but that’s not what I think’s going on. It only started happening when the light consumed my mother! My mother is part of that demon entity now! What if the reason I’m feeling this way is because of her? What if my constant exposure to this place is messing with me?’

‘So you think she’s leading all vampires here to weaken and kill them?’ he asked and I shrugged.

‘I don’t know. We have no idea what could be happening inside that thing!’

‘Then have a blood bag,’ he said. ‘If you’re worried about getting weak because you’re not feeding then feed!’

I swallowed and nodded. He was right. Just because I wasn’t hungry didn’t mean I didn’t have to stop eating!

‘I’m such a numbnut,’ I told myself, opening the refrigerator and grabbing a blood bag.

I could feel Edmund’s eyes on me and I quickly ripped off the seal and began draining the blood bag. Once it was empty I threw it away in frustration.

‘It doesn’t taste of anything! We’re vampires! It should taste of something!’ I kicked the wardrobe and my foot went right through the bottom panel. ‘Crap!’ I grimanced. Laura wasn’t going to be happy about that.

‘OK…maybe it is the campus,’ said Edmund nervously. ‘Maybe you and I should move into the free house?’ he suggested.

‘We can’t do that. If we do that we can’t put a barrier around Silas without dooming ourselves or dooming Silas. If we die then who’s going to take care of my mother?’

‘If we’re both weak who’s going to take care of your mother?’ asked Edmund.

‘No one is going to take care of her if we’re dead. No other vampire will be able to get into Silas and stop her.’

I ran my hands through my hair, silently cursing. Why couldn’t this be simple? Term had literally just started! Maybe we shouldn’t have come back. I should just grab Laura and leave with Edmund. I could turn her into a vampire and we could live out the rest of our eternal lives on the run! I wanted to punch something. I couldn’t do that to Laura but I didn’t want to leave her behind but the only way I way I could take her with me was to turn her. I didn’t want her to die and leave me.

Oh God. One day she’s going to grow older and we won’t be able to be together. What if she wants to have a normal family and adopt? No adoption agency is going to let a thirty-year old woman with an apparent eighteen-year-old girlfriend adopt a child! We’d have to keep moving before people realised I didn’t age and it wouldn’t be until her late thirties that we could try to pass off being mother and daughter to live in peace and even then we’d still have to move about.

Why am I even thinking about all of this? What’s happening to me? Why am I shaking?

‘Hey!’ Edmund jumped up from the bed and gathered me in his arms. ‘Calm down. It’s fine. We’ll work it out.’

‘Don’t tell Laura,’ I told him, hugging him back. ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Ed.’

‘I think we should go to the house,’ he said again. ‘Get you away from here.’

I shook my head. ‘I’m not leaving Laura and we can't take her because she’s not safe outside of Silas. At least here there are vampire hunters if any vampires do turn up. I need to stay. You go. We need one of us at full strength.’

We let go of each other and our eyes met.

‘You could always try drinking directly from someone,’ he suggested. ‘It’s fresh from the energy source. That might help.’

I swallowed the lump in my throat. ‘I can’t just go around biting random people. The Hunters will definitely come after me then.’

‘A group of the hunters has just gone missing. They might be coming after you anyway.’

I couldn’t argue with that. I ran my fingers through my hair, almost tempted to pull it out due to fustration.

‘I need to get Moore and his goons off our back,’ I said quietly. ‘I need to kill him. _We_ need to kill him.’

‘But what about Laura?’ asked Edmund, frowning.

I shook my head. ‘She can’t know. I’ll just tell her I threatened him and he left. He ran off with his balls caught between his legs or something...’

We both heard the door go and quickly sat back on my bed. Laura poked her head in, smiling.

‘They appreciated it- well LaFontaine did anyway. Perry isn’t a big fan of pizza because of how unhealthy it is,’ she walked in and opened the other three boxes and handed them over. ‘So it must be weird for you two to be hanging out again,’ she said, biting into her pizza.

‘No. Not really,’ I bit into mine. ‘It’s-like-wearing-old-socks,’ I said, chewing.

‘Thanks for referring me as an old pair of socks,’ Edmund replied and bit into his.

‘What about an old hat?’

‘Shut up,’ he said and Laura laughed.

Her laughing only made me feel worse about what I had just decided to do. Sometimes I think she forgets she’s sitting across from two murderers.

*

The rest of the night had gone swimmingly. We talked, joked about and then Edmund left for the house to keep an eye on the guards. Laura and I ended up spooning in her bed before she annoyingly woke me up to go to class.

‘And no leaving to do anything supernatural related!’ I shouted from under the covers.

‘Don’t you have lessons to go to too?’ she asked, pulling up her pants.

I peeked out from under the covers and groaned. ‘Why are you putting clothes on?!’

‘I can’t go to class in my underwear,’ she swatted me.

‘You could do if you were in a modelling class. Oh! We should do that! It would be a fun excuse for us to sit about all day in our underwear!’ I said suggestively. ‘Other than the other reason.’

‘We haven’t done that yet,’ she reminded me.

‘I know and it’s not fair! You’re a tease,’ I pouted.

‘Says the vampire famous for wearing leather pants,’ she replied, eyebrow raised.

I smirked. ‘You keep bringing the leather pants up but you never complain about them. One day you’ll walk in and I’ll just be wearing the leather pants.’

‘No underwear?’ she asked.

I raised a flirtatious eyebrow. ‘Who said I wear underwear under my pants anyway?’

She opened her mouth to speak but her words failed her so instead she lent in for a quick kiss and ran off. I stayed in bed for another half-hour before I had force myself to get up and get dressed. I had another unsatisfactory blood bag and texted Edmund to let him know I was on my way. Because Laura wasn’t with me I didn’t have to bother being polite to the people who wanted to talk to me on my way to my motorbike.

Edmund opened the door before I had even knocked and smiled at me. ‘G’morning,’ he let me inside.

‘How are they?’ I asked, looking up the stairs.

‘Awake and delicious,’ he replied. ‘You should have some to see if there’s any difference.’

‘Great idea,’ I said and ran up the stairs and into the room where the guards were being kept.

They all glared at me and shouted muffled curses. I could see where Edmund had bitten all of them and I could smell the blood from the doorway but I still wasn’t feeling any cravings. I knelt down in front of one of the guards and forced his head to the side, exposing his neck. I felt my fangs rise and I bit into the flesh, blood rushing up into my mouth and I could taste the sweet metallic flavour on my tongue. I pulled back and licked my lips, relief flooding over me.

I was fine. I just needed to feed from a direct source and potentially away from Silas. I could always test the second one later but for now I was fine.

‘How are you feeling?’ asked Edmund.

‘Pretty good,’ I said and went back for second. I could physically feel myself growing stronger and I relished in it.

‘Careful,’ warned Edmund. ‘You don’t want to kill him.’

I pulled away, wiping my mouth. ‘Yeah. Sorry,’ I ripped off the duct tape of the guard’s mouth. ‘So we need to know Moore’s address.’

He glared at me. ‘What makes you think we’d know? Even if we did we wouldn’t tell you, you little bi-’

‘Language!’ snapped Edmund. ‘Don’t talk to a lady like that.’

‘Lady? Are you serious? You’re both monsters!’ the guard spat in my face. I punched him in the face in response, knocking him out.

I put the tape back over his mouth and wiped the spit off my face.

‘The next one who does that ends up with a twisted neck,’ I warned the other guards and I ripped the tape off the next one.

He immediately spat in my face. They were calling my bluff. If I didn’t follow through with it then they wouldn’t take me as a serious threat. Edmund sped towards us and snapped the guard’s neck before I could even think it through. The other guards tried to edge away from him, their muffled screams held back by the duct tape. I looked up at him, trying to conceal my annoyance but he was looking at the other guards.

‘I’m not in a particularly good mood,’ he told the remaining guards. ‘Don’t give me a reason to kill the rest of you.’

I turned back to the guards. ‘I’m the nice one. I’m sure your boss has told you stories about me. Let that sink in. Between the two of us? I’m the nice one,’ I ripped off the duct tape of another guard. ‘Now start talking.’

‘We don’t know where he lives! He just hired us to guard the school!’ cried the guard. ‘All I know is the type of car he drives!’

‘Go on then,’ I urged him.

‘A black Type R Honda Civic!’ said the guard. ‘He leaves at seven-thirty every night!’

‘We could always follow him,’ I said to Edmund.

‘He’ll most probably notice us before we get to his place and we can’t set a trap away from the university because we don’t know where he goes,’ replied Edmund. ‘We’ll just have to kill him on campus.’

‘We could slash his tires and kill him in the car park?’ I suggested.

‘I don’t think so. It would look suspicious if he left but his damaged car was still there. We’ll just have to kill him and drive him out in his own car,’ he shrugged. ‘Now we can feed until these guys are dead right?’

‘W-what?!’ cried the guard. ‘You said you wouldn’t kill us!’

‘I said don’t give me a reason. We don’t need you anymore so that’s a reason,’ replied Edmund. ‘You really think we’re going to let you guys go so you can kill us later?’

Edmund took a step towards the guards and me. I quickly stood up and pushed him back. He looked surprised for a moment before looking annoyed.

‘Don’t be stupid. Why drain them now when we could have a constant blood source later as long as we act smartly?’ I asked.

‘This isn’t like Elizabeth, Carmilla! These guys _will_ kill us! They’ll share those stupid videos with the rest their hunter friends until you’re dead! We have to take these guys out now and then work our way through the rest of Moore’s group!’ he snarled.

‘I know that but there’s no point in killing them right now when they could still prove useful to us!’ I snapped. ‘And don’t you use me saving Elizabeth against me again otherwise I’ll smack you so hard you’re going to need dentures.’

‘Fine! But if this backfires on us I’m so going to give you crap for the next five hundred years!’ he replied furiously and stormed off.

‘Oh go cry in your corner, wethead!’ I called after him.

I put the tape back on the guard’s mouth and untied the dead one from the rest of them. I carried the dead guard into another room, trying to push the feelings of guilt away. I so did not need to feel guilty for Edmund killing someone. It’s not my fault…even if I had thought about doing it myself. Stupid Edmund with his stupid hair!

I gave him thirty minutes to calm down before going back downstairs where I found him sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the TV.

‘Anything good on? Oh. I see you’re watching “Blank” starring Tom Hanks,’ I said sarcastically and sat down next to him.

‘Sorry for bringing Elizabeth up,’ he mumbled.

‘It’s fine,’ I patted him on the shoulder and sighed. ‘Emotions are running high and crap.’

‘I had to kill that guard,’ he said, still staring at the TV. ‘Otherwise you’d have to and you’d feel guilty when you’re around Laura.’

‘I appreciate that,’ I replied. ‘Thanks for looking out for me.’

‘It’s my job,’ he stood up and stared to pace around the room. ‘I’ll kill Moore,’ he said suddenly.

‘I’ll go with you,’ I replied. ‘He’s pretty well trained. We don’t want him beating the snot out of that pretty little face of yours,’ I teased.

‘I don’t regret coming here,’ he added. ‘I’m glad we’re hanging out again.’

‘Me too.’

He smiled. ‘You know I’ve never told you…that you’re like a sister to me,’ I could see his face begin to flush. ‘I love you, Carmilla. You’re my best friend.’

‘Oh…did someone chop your balls off and put them in a little box?’ I asked and he laughed, flipping me off. ‘You’re like a brother to me too…and all that mushy stuff. I’m happy you’re back in my life.’

I could tell that meant a lot to him and it felt like we had put our regrets behind us, sealed away in a tiny wooden box.

We hung out for the rest of the day at the house. We ordered some food in for the guards and buried the dead one in the basement with the dead owner. We spent most of the day just talking and watching trash TV. Once the sunset we got ready to go to Silas.

‘What have you told Laura you’re doing tonight?’ asked Edmund as I sat on my motorbike.

‘Nothing. I’ll just tell her I’ve spent the day with you and we threatened Moore,’ I replied, slipping on my helmet.

‘So you haven’t even texted her?’

‘She needs to focus on her schoolwork. If I text her then she’ll want to start a conversation and it’ll just make it harder to lie to her later,’ I said, the familiar guilty feelings creeping up on me. ‘Let’s go,’ I brought the engine to life and sped off.

Soon Edmund was following me in his car. It felt like a long journey to Silas, the image of Laura plaguing my mind. This was for Edmund’s safety and my own. We were doing this to protect ourselves! I shouldn’t feel guilty about this!

We drove through the Silas gates and headed straight for the teacher car park around the corner from the admin building but there wasn’t a Honda Civic parked there. I got off my bike and Edmund stepped out of his car.

‘That dick lied to us,’ Edmund said furiously.

There was a metallic whine and we both turned to the now ajar fire exit.

‘You go round the front and I’ll go through there,’ I whispered and Edmund nodded.

He dashed off and I walked through the fire exit door. There was no one there and I narrowed my eyes.

‘Moore?’ I called.

No response.

I started to walk down the corridor slowly, prepared to lash out at anyone who attacked me. I concentrated my hearing but all I could hear was eerily calming music coming from the direction of the main hall.

‘Because that’s not creepy or anything,’ I mumbled.

That’s when I heard something that made my blood go cold at once.

‘Carm?! Carm?!’ I heard Laura’s voice echo through the corridors and I started to run towards the source of the sound, straight into the main hall.

Moore was standing on the stage with a recorder held by the microphone. He smiled at me.

‘It was so easy to get a voice clip from one of her videos,’ he explained, turning the recorder off. ‘That one was from the video where Danny Lawrence brought you back to your room after everyone thought you were dead. We just had to loop it.’

I snarled. ‘So that’s your big plan? Loop a voice clip to lure me in here? What now? You’re by yourself and Edmund is going to be here any second.’

‘I wouldn’t say I’m by myself,’ said Moore.

He turned the music off and suddenly about fifty of Moore’s guards rose from behind all the seats and pointing their guns at me.

_Oh crap. They’re going to stake me! I need to keep them talking. I need time to think of something._

‘So you had these guys hiding behind seats like children waiting for me?’ I asked. I was actually really afraid now but I had to control my fear. I couldn’t let them know I was scared. ‘How humiliating for them.’

‘They don’t mind,’ replied Moore, unconcerned. ‘I’m surprised it was this easy to trap you.’

‘You knew I would have guessed who you were the moment you held that meeting,’ I said angrily.

‘I had a feeling,’ he started to walk down the stage steps. ‘What did you do with my men?’

‘None of your damn business,’ I spat.

 _Edmund would have gotten here earlier than me,_ I thought. _What have they done with Edmund?_

‘No! It is my business! Those are my men and I’d like them back!’ shouted Moore.

‘I’d like Edmund back,’ I gave him a condescending smile.

‘Oh yes. The other vampire. He’s knocked out backstage. Turns out ten stun batons are enough to render a vampire unconscious. I look forward to interrogating him later,’ said Moore. ‘I might make both of your deaths less painful if you return my men to me.’

I cocked an eyebrow. ‘Yeah…I could do that…or I could wait you guys out so they starve to death. Now you’re going to let Edmund and I go and then you and your merry men are going to leave Silas.’

Moore looked like he was considering it. ‘How many people have you killed during your lifetime?’ he asked.

I frowned. ‘I dunno.’

‘A hundred? More? Less? How many people have you killed accidently just by feeding too much? How many?’

‘I don’t see-’

‘It’s a simple enough question. I could sacrifice those men and save hundreds more…’ he said calmly. ‘The question is am I that kind of man?’

No one replied.

‘Yes I am.’

Someone dropped down from the collar beams behind me and I turned to defend myself against the stun baton but it struck me on the left side of my rib cage. The volts shot through me and I pushed him away, wincing. The other guards approached me with their guns but I knew they wouldn’t fire; even one gunshot would raise alarm bells around the school.

‘You wanna dance?’ I asked them, grinning. ‘Then let’s dance!’

I tore one of the guns from a guard and slammed it against his head before any of the others had time to react. If my life were a movie this would be the cool ass scene where it was one long slow motion shot of me performing some pretty amazing fight moves and taking all the men down.

But this wasn’t a movie and it wasn’t that easy. The other guards rushed towards me and I had to jump backwards to put some distance between us but unfortunately I ended up jumping right in front of the guard I had pushed away earlier, who grabbed me from behind.

I reached back and grabbed him by his shirt and threw him off me into a group of the guards, who were all sent falling like bowling pins. Before the others could get to me I jumped up onto one of the collar beams.

‘Keep her in your sight!’ I heard Moore shout at his men.

‘Yeah! You don’t want to lose sight of me!’ I called back, jumping from one collar beam to the next before disappearing into a puff of smoke. I love this ability of mine but I hardly ever have a chance to use it.

I reappeared on the lower floor and picked up another guard easily, throwing him into another group and they all fell. I jumped on the top of the seats and started running over the seats as the closest guards stumbled in their effort to catch me.

‘Where did you find these guys?’ I asked, disappearing and reappearing on a collar beam. ‘Craigslist?’

Moore didn’t reply, glaring daggers. I laughed.

‘Don’t look so mad, beefcake,’ I said, aggravating him. ‘It was a good plan but there’s a difference between Edmund and I,’ I disappeared and reappeared behind a guard and lifted him up. ‘I’m the daughter of one of the most powerful, evil vampires who ever lived,’ I threw the guard and he knocked several guards down. This was far easier than I had anticipated.

I disappeared and reappeared on another collar beam. This strategy was working pretty well.

‘Sure I’m adopted but she taught me some of her tricks,’ I added. ‘She never taught me how to deal with a bunch of lame-asses though. That just comes naturally.’

‘Can we just shoot the bitch?!’ demanded one of the guards.

‘Excuse me?! I am a lady!’ I said, appearing in front of the guard and head-butted him. He went down easily. ‘Some men ju-’

Someone struck me with a stun baton across my head and I fell to my knees, screaming in agony. My eyes were flooded with a painful bright light and my head felt like it was on fire. My hands curled up into tight balls as I tried to push the pain away.

_You need to move! Get up!_

I tried to get up and run but someone grabbed me by my hair and flung me backwards onto my back. I clawed at the air, desperate to fend off any of the guards and managed to grab the armrests of the two seats. I was lying between I pulled myself up, my vision now a blurry mess. I looked up to find a blurry Moore standing over me. He brought his foot up and kicked me in the face, the pain of the impact shooting across my skull.

I felt my body fall like a ragdoll, darkness swallowing me up until there was nothing…


	7. Chapter Seven: Moore's Story

**Chapter Seven**

**Moore’s Story**

_Laura_

 

‘“ _I’m sorry_ ”,’ I read and thrust my cellphone into LaFontaine’s hand. She silently read the text Carmilla had sent me. ‘What do you think it means?’

Perry read it over LaFontaine’s shoulder and she frowned. ‘Maybe she’s left?’ she suggested but LaFontaine didn’t look convinced.

LaFontaine handed me back my cell and began pacing the room in silence for a couple of minutes until she turned on her heels to face me.

‘Do you think Moore could have taken her?’ she asked me.

‘I dunno! I can’t find her or Edmund and she isn’t answering her phone,’ I replied, practically in hysterics. What if she was dead? What if she was being tortured? My chest felt tight and I was gasping for air.

Perry, sensing my distress, rushed into the bathroom and returned with a brown paper bag for me to breathe into. I never really saw how this was meant to help but Perry talked me through how to regain control of my breathing, calming me down.

‘Feeling better?’ she asked, her eyes wide with concern. I nodded and she snatched the bag out of my hands. ‘Good,’ she put the bag to her mouth and started breathing into it instead.

LaFontaine was the only one who wasn’t freaking out and was sitting on her bed, biting her bottom lip in thought. I waited for her to say something, feeling exposed and helpless. My vampire girlfriend was either being held prisoner and possibly dead or had just abandoned me to deal with a group of powerful Vampires and a evil light entity that was threatening to destroy the world with no way to fight any of them!

No- she wouldn’t just leave me! She came back for me when we fought her mother.

But this time we’re up against something a lot stronger and she almost died last time! Of course she ran off!

 _She wouldn’t leave me though!_ I thought wildly. _She’s proven that! Oh my God! She’s dead! We’re all going to die!_

I ripped the bag from Perry’s hands and started breathing into it again. We started to fight over the bag until we eventually ended up ripping it up into two.

‘Oh! Well I hope you’re happy!’ Perry scolded.

‘Of course I’m not! I’m freaking out here! I haven’t felt this crazy since Amy left in _Doctor Who_!’ I replied, looking around the room desperately for something to distract me.

‘You told me you preferred Clara,’ LaFontaine joked and I nodded, still franticly looking around the room. ‘Why?’

‘It’s because she’s short like me! And adorable,’ I added, stopping. ‘And her hair is so pretty…and she looks good in everything she wears! Her eyes are so adorable! She has eyes like a doe and you just want to hug her and- and…’ I trailed off, my breathing finally levelling out.

LaFontaine smirked. ‘Calmed down?’ she asked and I swallowed, nodding. ‘Your crush on Jenna Coleman finally serves a purpose.’

‘It doesn’t help us though,’ I replied sharply. ‘Because if there’s any way my crush on Jenna Coleman could help us then please tell me!’

‘I’ll work on that for you. In the mean time we need to keep calm and decide on what we’re going to do now,’ she said soothingly and I took a deep breath.

‘OK,’ I said. ‘What are we going to do?’

‘We’re going to confront Moore in the morning,’ she replied briskly and I opened my mouth to protest but she stopped me. ‘We’ve spent all this time sneaking round when maybe we should have just gone to him straight away. Maybe he’s not here to kill Carmilla or maybe he is, but either way we need to talk to him.’

‘Then why don’t we go confront him now?’ I asked.

‘Laura…it’s late. We don’t know where he-’

‘Just find him!’ I snapped, surprising LaFontaine. My expression softened. ‘Please…LaFontaine…I need to find her.’

LaFontaine glanced uncertainly at Perry, who shrugged. She grabbed JP’s USB stick and plugged him into her computer.

‘You know what to do JP,’ she said to the computer and we all watched as JP started to surf the web, opening and closing webpages faster than I could process.

While JP searched through the Internet for Moore’s address I sent a text to both Kirsch and Danny, asking for their help. Kirsch sent a text back almost immediately saying that he’d be round LaFontaine’s room in a few minutes. I swallowed, my stomach in knots. Would Danny come and help? She had never let me down, even after we had “broken up”. Technically we had never been in a relationship although many- Carmilla included- had assumed we were together. There had been a time when I would have wanted that, a much simpler time when vampires didn’t exist.

You know how in high school you’d always have a crush on someone so unattainable that your whole relationship really just existed inside your head? That was what my crush on Danny was for quite some time. She was tall, pale and incredibly hot with fiery red hair while I was short, awkward and had sweat stains under my armpits. I was just a student while she was a T.A! People who only want their grades raised hit T.A’s on all the time. There was no way she would be interested in me…

Until it seemed like she was. She offered to help me to investigate the cause of the missing girls and she was just so adorable. She was always there when I needed her and even when I didn’t. That was the problem. She was _too_ overprotective. Being protective was cool and everything but when she started acting like my dad it was too much. I didn’t need another dad to watch my every move. I wanted a girlfriend, not a bodyguard. That didn’t go down well.

She still hadn’t replied by the time Kirsch had arrived so I tried to ring her but my call was rejected almost at once. I let out a pathetic whimper and Perry gave me a concern look but I just shook my head. There was no way Danny was going to come. We’d just have to do it without her.

‘So what’s the plan?’ asked Perry.

‘Well JP just found his address,’ said LaFontaine. ‘So what do you want to do, Laura?’ she asked.

‘We go to his place right now,’ I decided and they all nodded uneasily. ‘Let’s do this!’

I stormed towards the door and flung it open only to be met by Danny. I stopped, looking up at her while she looked down at me. She had an odd expression on her face. I wasn’t sure if she was annoyed that I had dragged her out to help or if she was pained at seeing me. I don’t want to sound like I’m getting a big head so I’m going to do with the first one.

‘Hi…’ I said cautiously.

‘Hey,’ she buried her hands into her pockets. ‘So Elvira’s gone missing and you think Moore has something to do with it?’ I nodded. She looked at LaFontaine, Perry and Kirsch. Now she looked annoyed. ‘Fine. OK. Let’s go.’

She started walking down the corridor and I chased after her, having to lightly jog to keep up with her. LaFontaine, Perry and Kirsch followed.

‘You mean you’re actually going to help me?’ I asked.

‘Well clearly you need it,’ she said irritably, turning the corner and down the stairs.

‘Well we’re going to Moore’s place,’ I explained. ‘We had JP find it online.’

‘No need,’ she replied, refusing to look at me. ‘Moore’s in his office.’

I stopped, shocked. Why would he still be on campus? He must have had something to do with Carmilla’s disappearance! I broke out into a run, passing Danny and pushed the door open. My feet barely touched the ground as I ran across the campus towards Moore’s office. Danny soon caught up to me without even trying. I could hear the others running behind us and soon we came to Moore’s building.

‘Hey!’ shouted one of the guards at the building doors. He walked towards us. ‘What are you doing out of your rooms?’

‘You do _not_ want to mess with me tonight!’ I screamed, pushing him out of the way. I pointed at the other guard as he instinctively went for his baton. ‘You either! I have a black belt in almost every form of martial arts! I want to see Moore!’

The guard raised his hands up, looking alarmed and I pushed through him and inside Moore’s building, the others following me at my heels.

‘Is that true?’ asked LaFontaine, sounding impressed.

‘No but I did take some self defence lessons,’ I replied and pushed the door to Moore’s office open. He was sitting at his desk and looked up, surprised. ‘Where’s Carmilla?’ I demanded.

‘Car-‘ he looked dumbfounded. ‘Has she left already?’

My heart stopped for a second, fear taking hold. ‘What do you mean already?’ I asked and he stood up from his desk, frowning.

‘I warned Carmilla to leave the campus and to take you and your friends with her,’ he answered. ‘She and I discussed the Vampire Lords heading this way and I offered all of you protection in one of my many safe houses but she said she could handle it. She told me she would take you with her and Edmund.’

I felt tears prickle my eyes and I shook my head. ‘N-no,’ I shook my head, determined. ‘She wouldn’t leave me! You’ve taken her!’ I spat and threw myself at her but Danny caught me and held me back. ‘Where is she?!’ I cried.

‘Laura I assure you that I’m here to protect Carmilla and this school,’ Moore said calmly. ‘Why do you think I stopped you from posting those videos at the start of term? It was to throw your enemies off track. I was hoping that by stopping you sharing your activities that they would assume you had gone into hiding.’

‘Then why did the guards attack us?’ asked LaFontaine. ‘And why didn’t you come to us in the first place?’

Moore looked surprised. ‘I thought that would be obvious. If I had gone to Carmilla and explained that my men and I were trained vampire hunters do you think she would have believed I was here for her benefit?’ he asked. ‘She would assume it was all one big ploy to gain her trust just so we could take her out. I had hoped to prevent you all from knowing why I was really here until it was all over.’

‘Then why were we attacked?’ asked Perry.

Moore sighed. ‘Just because I believe in Carmilla doesn’t mean my men do. They agreed to help protect the school and the students but they are very reluctant to help Carmilla. In their eyes all vampires are killers.’

Moore sat down on his desk, observing me curiously. ‘She told me she would take you with her,’ he said softly. ‘She came to me before I left and explained that you had worked out who I really was and she and Edmund confronted me about it. I explained the situation and I suggested that it would be safer if she were to leave campus.’

‘So she left me?’ I said slowly.

I was sure I could hear my heartbeat. She had left me. She had really left me. No. She wouldn’t. He was lying. He had to be.

‘Why did you come to protect Carmilla?’ I asked, narrowing my eyes.

‘It is a long story but the short version is that Carmilla saved one of my ancestors. Without her I would not be here. I wanted to repay her for saving my ancestor and aiding us in finding the Blood House. Many murderous vampires were slain because of her.’

‘So all of your family are vampire hunters?’ asked Danny and Moore nodded.

‘The knowledge that vampires exist is limited to a few,’ he explained. ‘At first they were very real but soon became the stuff of legends and ghost stories. Eventually they became romantic figures and heroes,’ he chuckled. ‘How times change. But the vampires were always very good at hiding their existence…until a series of videos hit the net,’ he looked at me judgingly. ‘Now their existence was revealed although many believed it to be a web series…the results of the last battle with Carmilla’s mother made some think differently. It didn’t help that Carmilla is very well known amongst vampire hunters.’

‘Why’s that?’ Kirsch asked.

‘Because she is responsible for so many young women’s deaths,’ Moore answered, his voice irritably even. He didn’t sound judgemental or even sad. He was just stating a fact. ‘Many call her the Bloody Temptress.’

I swallowed the hard lump in my throat. ‘Her mother made her do all that.’

‘I know,’ replied Moore. ‘But that doesn’t erase the fact many girls died. She is one of the most sought after vampire in the world, other than the vampire lords. Dracula is the number one vampire on our wanted list.’

‘I’m sorry,’ LaFontaine raised her hands. ‘Dracula? As in the fictional Dracula? The whole “I vant to suck your blood!” Dracula?’

Moore nodded. ‘Ever heard of Vlad the Impaler?’ he asked and everyone except Kirsch nodded. ‘The story goes that Dracula was based on Vlad the Impaler when he really _was_ Vlad the Impaler.’

‘Some people call me Kirsch the Impaler,’ smiled Kirsch and Perry hit him on the arm, glaring.

Moore didn’t look too impressed by this comment and continued, ignoring it.

‘Once all the other vampire hunters realised who Carmilla was, many wanted to come here to kill her,’ said Moore. ‘My family had been keeping tabs on her over the years except for that one long period where she had been locked in the coffin,’ he explained. ‘We didn’t think we could take out her mother. She was too strong. I know Carmilla’s history and I knew she wasn’t as bad as everyone believed. I offered to bring my men here to kill her when really I wanted to keep her safe.’

Danny had let go of me by this point, looking at me anxiously. I wouldn’t look at her. I didn’t want her to see how upset I was. I had given up on our potential relationship to be with Carmilla and I had been left to fend for myself. How could she do this to me? Why would she do this to me? Had Moore explained all this? Did she blame me for exposing her?

‘It’s all my fault…’ I mumbled, tears falling down my cheeks. ‘She’s left me here because it’s all my fault.’

‘No!’ said Moore, shaking his head. ‘Don’t think that, Laura. She left you because…maybe she thought it would be safer than being on the road and open to attack…’

‘No,’ I cried. ‘She left me here because I went and painted a giant target on her back!’ I sobbed, turned and rushed out.

‘Laura!’ shouted Perry but I kept running.

I didn’t want anyone to comfort me. I didn’t want anyone to tell me it would be OK. I didn’t want anyone. I only wanted Carmilla to come and get me. I didn’t care if it meant going on the run. I just wanted her to hold me and take me away. I wanted to protect her. I wanted to tell her how sorry I was for putting her life in danger. I wanted her to forgive me and to love me.

I ran into my room and threw myself onto my bed, weeping uncontrollably. I started punching my mattress in a fit of rage and started screaming. She and Edmund could be anywhere by now. I was never going to find them. Carmilla would most probably dump her phone somewhere so I couldn’t have JP trace her.

What was I going to do now? Leave Silas to avoid everything else? I couldn’t stay here. Too much had happened and too much was going to happen. I didn’t want it. I didn’t want any of it.

‘Hey,’ said a voice from my doorway. ‘You OK?’

I sat up and looked at Danny, my nose red and my eyes puffy. I had done so much crying that I had a painful headache and felt incredibly tired.

‘I just want to be alone, Danny,’ I muttered and she knelt down by my bed, cupping my face in her hands.

‘You shouldn’t blame yourself,’ she said. ‘If she left you then it was her stupid fault.’

‘I made her leave,’ I replied miserably. ‘I mess everything up. I messed her life up. I messed up this school. I messed up what you and I could have had. I messed-’

Danny cut me off, crushing her lips against mine. My mind went blank and I froze, unsure how to react to this. I knew I should have been angry that she was kissing me but something inside of me sparked and old feeling buried inside suddenly came bubbling up to the surface. I felt powerless against her kiss and she opened her mouth against mine. I closed my eyes and returned the kiss, trying to push the feelings of being abandoned at the back of my mind.

 _What am I doing?_ I asked. _I need to stop kissing Danny! Carmilla-_

 ** _Carmilla left you_** , replied a tiny voice in the back of my mind. **_Danny is still here. Danny cares for you._**

Suddenly I was straddling Danny on my bed, holding onto the back of her neck as she held me close to her. She pulled off my top impatiently and started to kiss my chest, slowly making her way up to my neck. I threw my head back, letting out a quiet moan as she kissed my neck, slowly and gently at first before it felt like she flicked a switch, the kisses suddenly becoming more passionate and eager. She pushed me on my back and pinned me down, making her way back down to my chest…and then to my stomach…

Her hands went for the zip on my trousers, snapping me out of my daze.

‘No!’ I sat up, knocking her head with my knees. ‘No!’

‘Ahhh!’ she held onto her head, wincing. ‘What the hell?’

‘I-I can’t,’ I shook my head. ‘I-Danny you have to go!’

She looked at me, in nothing but my trousers and bra and nodded. ‘Yeah…you’re right. Sorry. I just…’

‘I was literally just dumped,’ I said shakily. ‘I’m not ready for this. I’m just- I’m an emotional wreck. I can’t- Oh my God!’ I brought my hand up to my mouth, shaking.

_What was I just doing? I was just about to have sex with Danny! I had only found out I had been dumped an hour ago and here I was about to have sex with my kind-of-ex?_

‘It’s my fault,’ replied Danny, getting off the bed. ‘I wanted to tell you…that even after everything with Carmilla that I still care. It went a bit too far,’ she looked ashamed of herself. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘No. It’s my fault…I shouldn’t have- I’m just so-‘ I started to sob. She instinctively went to hug me but I moved back, shaking my head. ‘Just go, Danny. Please.’

She looked torn but she nodded and left without another word. I immediately took the rest of my clothes off and ran into the bathroom for a shower. I scrubbed away furiously in attempt to wash away my shame. What had I just been doing? Why was I always messing up?! Why had I been feeling so down since I got back?! Sure there would be good moments but I always seemed to be doubting myself and feeling like a nervous wreck!

‘Laura?’ I heard LaFontaine call from my room.

I turned the shower off and wrapped myself in a towel before going back in.

‘Hey,’ I greeted her.

‘Hey…’ she looked concerned and I sat down. ‘I asked Moore about those guards we were hiding. He said that Carmilla refused to give them up until she was far away in case he decided to double cross her. I gave him the address of the house anyway.’

I sniffed. ‘Yeah. That sounds about right.’

She sat on Carmilla’s bed and I sat on mine.

‘How are you feeling?’ she asked and I shrugged. ‘If you ever need to talk you can always head to my room. I can’t imagine how hard this must be for you right now,’ she said, looking miserable as well.

‘I want to leave,’ I blurted out and she didn’t look surprised.

‘I guessed,’ she replied. ‘I don’t think you will though.’

I waited for her to continue and she smiled sadly.

‘You never give up, Laura. I know you’re hurting right now but I know you won’t give up. You’re too good for that,’ she said proudly.

‘I don’t feel too good right now,’ I said sadly. ‘Danny kissed me…and I kissed her back.’

LaFontaine’s smile left her face. ‘Oh…’

‘I just felt so alone and heartbroken…’ I tried to explain, even though I didn’t believe it myself.

She raised her hand up to silence me. ‘Laura, you’re allowed to make a mistake. That’s if you consider it a mistake. You’ve been through a lot and you’re had a lot to take in tonight. It’s not your fault if you had a moment of weakness. Did you stop it?’ she asked and I nodded. She smiled again. ‘Then there you go.’

She stood up and kissed me on the forehead. ‘You’ll work it out, Laura. We believe in you. Try to get some sleep.’

‘Thanks LaFontaine,’ I smiled up at her and she left.

I got changed into my PJ’s and started to pace my room. She was right. I didn’t give up. That wasn’t who I was. If Carmilla had truly left me then I had to take matters into my own hands. I had to help protect this campus and its students. I had to protect my friends! I pulled Carmilla’s bed out from against the wall and against mine, leaving the wall bare. I went to my computer and started typing up notes on what had happened so far and printing them off. I rummaged through the draws and found some tape and started biting off strips. I started to tape the notes up on the wall and then Googled Dracula. Typically it was all the films so I changed my search to Vlad the Impaler.

I made myself some coco and started to drink as I read. Soon multiple printouts taken from multiple sources joined my notes on the wall. I shoved cookies into my mouth (and even dipped them into my chocolate) as I worked, reading as much as I could. I then researched vampire talismans but could only find stuff taken from Japanese RPG’s and online MMO’s. None of which was particularly helpful.

A quick trip to Amazon for some texts on vampires and Vlad the Impaler cost me $100 but I had access to Carmilla’s account. Her password wasn’t very inventive…it was my name.

‘Wait!’ I said to the empty room. ‘Her bank! I can trace her that way! She’d use her bank to pay for food and hotels! Laura Hollis you are a genius! A tiny Hobbit sized genius!’

I cheered and there was a knock at the wall.

‘SHUT UP, LAURA!’ shouted a voice. ‘I’M TRYING TO SLEEP!’

‘Oh shut up yourself, Mary!’ I snapped and grinned at my computer.

‘I’ll find you, Carmilla Karnstein,’ I said to the computer screen. ‘And when I do I’m going to give you such a telling off. No one leaves me behind.’

I took a picture of Carmilla and me and stuck it to the centre of the wall. I observed my wall of madness proudly.

‘Laura Hollis never gives up,’ I said determinedly. ‘Never.’


	8. Chapter Eight: Heartbreak

_Laura_

 

**ONE MONTH LATER**

Nothing. It had been a month and there had been no sign of Carmilla! JP had been scouting the Internet and had accessed Carmilla’s bank account but there hadn’t been any activity! Whatever she was doing, she wasn’t paying for it. Maybe she and Edmund had been staying in some abandoned warehouse somewhere? They didn’t technically have to eat as long as they had blood and they could easily feed off the homeless for that. I didn’t want to believe that they would do such a thing but I couldn’t see many other possibilities.

Moore had assured me that his men were looking for her and that he also had men tracking the Vampire Lords, who had already entered the country but were looking for something rather than coming towards Silas. Moore had suggested it might be the talisman so his men had started looking for it too.

‘What can I do?’ I asked and he folded his arms.

‘You can go back to class and let me do my job. We’re looking for Carmilla, the talisman and we’ve even started looking for a wizard or witch to put a barrier around the school,’ he replied calmly and I didn’t argue.

It wasn’t like there was anything for me to do. It looked like Moore had everything under control so I went back to my classes, only to realise how boring I found them. Turns out nothing compared to fighting vampires but I refused to let myself cave. I couldn’t do anything until Carmilla was found so there was no point in worrying about what I couldn’t control.

What I did have to worry about was Danny. I tried to avoid her as much as possible, partly because of the guilt and shame I felt because of our kiss and partly because I didn’t fully trust myself around her. Even after everything LaFontaine had said to reassure me, I still wasn’t sure of my feelings. I knew I loved Carmilla but I couldn’t stop thinking about how things could have turned out if I had decided to date Danny.

Danny had apparently spoken to Perry about the situation because next thing I knew I had Perry insisting that I give Danny another chance.

‘Danny’s never killed anyone,’ Perry reminded me one night as I attempted to write an essay. ‘And she’s never gone off and left you like Carmilla.’

LaFontaine wasn’t too happy about this.

‘Danny has never been put in the same situation Carmilla has,’ she said heatedly. ‘It’s unfair to judge Carmilla without considering how she felt.’

‘She still killed,’ Perry stated simply.

‘You killed a spider this morning. How is that any different?’

‘It’s _very_ different!’

‘ENOUGH!’ I bellowed, throwing my arms up in the air.  ‘I don’t need this! I really don’t! I’m just trying to write my essay!’

I could hear the two arguing all the way down the hallway after they left and I rolled my eyes. It reminded me of several ship wars I had read on Youtube and Tumblr. Perry shipped Danny and me, and LaFontaine shipped Carmilla and me. How did my life become like a TV show? Did that mean people were writing fanfics based on Carmilla and me?

It suddenly occurred to me that it would be cool to write some of my own at some point just to see how they turned out but it just wasn’t the right time. Actually, thinking about it that might be a bit creepy and clingy. Was I being creepy and clingy wanting to write hot sex fanfiction about my potentially ex-girlfriend and me?

‘Essay!’ I reminded myself and started writing again.

The room felt oddly quiet without Carmilla. Even when she didn’t say anything I always felt reassured by the sound of her breathing. My bottom lip trembled and I sniffed. I had to concentrate on my essay. I couldn’t be thinking about Carmilla. I had to write my essay.

Carmilla!

Essay!

I buried my face in my hands as I wept. I just wanted her to come back. I just wanted to find her and to bring her back. I rubbed my wet eyes, saved my incomplete essay and curled up on Carmilla’s bed miserably.

‘Where are you?’ I sobbed. ‘I miss you so much…’

 

_Carmilla_

_Do you miss me? Are you even looking for me? If you are then do you have any idea just how close I actually am?_

I glanced up and across to the other side of the room where Edmund was chained to the wall. He looked terrible. His skin was far paler than I had ever seen it and his head hung loosely as he fought to keep consciousness. I had no idea how I looked but I couldn’t imagine that I was any better.

The room had been filled with garlic and the scent made us both feel extremely nauseous. My veins felt like sandpaper and my mouth felt as dry as a desert. The chains that held us had been bathed in Holy Water and drained our strength. We were only allowed a drop of blood a day, enough to stop us from dying but not enough to keep us strong.

Every now and then they would come in and record them interrogating us. They would ask us questions about my mother and the Vampire Lords but most of the time we were left alone. Edmund rarely spoke, leaving me to try and break the silence. For some reason I don’t think I felt as weak as him but I definitely wasn’t strong enough to break free of my bonds.

Do you know what made it even worse? To help “pass the time” our captors had decided it would be best to play music for us and had decided on one single song: _Friday_ by Rebecca Black. The only way it could have been worse was if they had decided to play some Miley Cyrus songs as well. I think I’d be begging to be staked if that were the case.

‘How are you feeling today?’ I asked Edmund and he grunted as a response. ‘Well that’s better than yesterday.’

I’m sure he would have flipped me off if he could. I went back to pulling at my bonds but they showed no signs of weakening.

‘I bet I stink right now,’ I added as I continued to pull.

‘You do,’ he mumbled.

‘So you can speak?’ I asked but he didn’t reply. ‘That’s fine. You store your energy. I’m sure that’s why you haven’t tried pulling your chains out of the wall.’

‘There’s no point,’ he replied quietly. ‘We’re too weak and they’re going to kill us anyway. We might as well accept it.’

‘I don’t think they are,’ I replied and I saw his head jerk curiously. ‘I think they’re planning on bargaining me for the safety of the school.’

‘And I’m still here because?’

‘They most probably think you’ll be worth something too,’ I told him. ‘That’s nice of them right?’

‘Go and suck on an egg,’ he replied.

‘I’d rather bite the inside of Laura’s thigh,’ I replied. ‘Or her butt. She has a cute little butt. I’m in a real butt biting mood.’

He sighed, wincing. ‘How can you be in such a good mood?’

‘Because I know Laura is going to find us,’ I replied and saw his doubtful expression. ‘I believe in her. She’s stubborn as hell.’

‘Like you?’ he asked, smirking weakly.

I smirked too. ‘Yeah but without the attitude and fangs.’

‘You’ve never taken to anyone like this,’ he said, surprisingly. ‘Even when you had fallen in love with Elle, you were never like this.’

‘Like what?’ I asked.

He looked at me hesitantly but I raised my eyebrows, urging him on and he sighed.

‘Human,’ he answered. ‘You’re putting your faith in someone other than yourself. You’ve never believed in me that much and I’m your best friend.’

I wasn’t sure what to say and he smiled ironically.

‘Love is a vampire’s greatest weakness, Carm. One day she’s going to grow old and you’ll still be young,’ he said.

I glared at him. ‘This isn’t some crappy teen novel,’ I snapped. ‘Laura and I can have that conversation when it comes to it. Either I’ll turn her or we’ll go our separate ways when she gets old enough and she can go live a normal life.’

‘And you?’

I bit the inside of my cheek and did my best to shrug. ‘I got over Elle. I’ll get over Laura.’

‘I don’t think you ever got over Elle,’ he admitted.

‘I preferred it when you were silent and grumpy,’ I snapped and went back to pulling at the chains.

 

 

_Laura_

 

Typically I ended up in the library to research abandoned warehouses in the area. If they were really feeding on the homeless it seemed that the warehouses would be the best place to find them. The homeless because of the space often used abandoned warehouses and to avoid being told by cops to leave wherever they were sleeping. I hated the idea of Carmilla out in the cold and feeding off the weak but it was what I would do in her situation.

I found the nearest three, printed off the addresses and rang for a taxi. I was just about to leave the room when Danny came in.

‘Oh!’ we both jumped at the sight of each other.

‘Are you going out?’ she asked after quickly recomposing herself.

‘Oh-I-err-yeah!’ I stuttered. ‘I’m just gonna go and…’ I awkwardly pointed at the computer I was using. ‘I just…I dunno,’ I laughed although I’m not sure why. ‘This is incredibly awkward.’

‘Kind of,’ she agreed, nodding. ‘So has Perry spoken to you at all?’

I had no doubt that Perry had already reported back to Danny and I nodded. There was no point in denying it.

‘I’m not in a good place to be thinking about diving into a relationship,’ I told her, smiling sympathetically. ‘I just need some time to gather my thoughts.’

‘In other words you need time to find Carmilla to avoid being with me?’ she said and I flinched. ‘I know that’s what you’re doing. You feel guilty for kissing me so now you’re doing all you can to find Carmilla so you don’t have to admit to yourself that you might actually still want me.’

I couldn’t even look at her. ‘That’s not what I’m doing.’

‘So why won’t you look at me?’ she asked.

‘I get a stiff neck?’

‘Never stopped you before.’

I was unsure what to say and she grunted, turning away.

‘Wait!’ I reached out and grabbed her hand instinctively and we both froze. She looked down at our hands and then up at me. I swallowed, a sudden wave of fear crashing down on me. My eyes met hers and an all to familiar longing crept up inside of me.

‘I just need time,’ I whispered, noticing a number of students turning to watch us.

‘One day you’ll have to decide between me and a memory,’ she told me, pulling her hand out of mine. ‘She left you, Laura. I would never leave you.’

She then walked away, leaving me frustrated. I stomped away like an angry hobbit all the way outside where I waited for my taxi. The guy that picked me up was very chatty and went on about how his wife had been watching videos on YouTube to try and lose weight. Despite the amount of junk food I eat I had never had much problem with my weight, which is a blessing really considering how short I am.

‘You sure this is the place?’ asked the driver when we arrived at the first warehouse and I nodded.

‘Yep. I shouldn’t be long. I have two more I might have to look at,’ I replied and slipped out of the car.

The warehouse had been abandoned for at least fifteen years and looked very sorry for itself. The metal walls had rusted quite badly and it looked like the roofing had collapsed. I stepped inside but all I found were several oil drums that had been used to contain the fire that kept all the homeless seeking shelter warm.

‘Can I help you?’

I screamed and turned round to find a man looking at me curiously. He wore baggy clothes that looked like they hadn’t been washed for months with a grey hat and he had a long wiry grey beard.

‘Oh! I’m so sorry. I’m looking for someone,’ I said, going into my bag and producing a picture of Carmilla. ‘Do you recognise her at all?’

He looked at the photo and shook his head. ‘Nope. Friend of yours?’

‘Girlfriend,’ I said, unsure how he would react.

He shrugged. ‘If I were you I’d be eager to find her too,’ he said. ‘Good luck with that.’

‘Thank you,’ I said and walked back to the taxi miserably.

 

 

_Carmilla_

‘I could be on a beach right now,’ Edmund said suddenly but I ignored him. ‘I could be on a beach and feeding from some hot blonde. Why am I not on a beach and feeding from some hot blonde?’ he asked.

‘Because you wanted to be my friend again,’ I replied without looking at him, focusing all my strength on one of the chains. ‘Regretting it yet?’

He laughed. ‘I’m not sure. I wouldn’t want to die with anyone else but at the same time I really don’t want to die. I especially wouldn’t want this freaking song to be the last one I ever heard!’

‘I’m really in the mood for a burger,’ I admitted although I’m not sure why. ‘A cheese burger with lots of salty fries.’

‘You’re making me hungry,’ he replied. ‘God I just want to rip off someone’s head right now!’

I was about to reply when I heard the sound of footsteps and I stopped trying to pull out the chains. The door opened and Moore walked in. Even he looked annoyed at the song and he quickly turned the iPod off.

‘Laura is currently looking at the abandoned warehouses for you,’ he informed us. ‘She has no idea we’re tracking her account. She’s been to one but we’d rather she didn’t get to the second one.’

‘And why’s that?’ I asked.

He rolled his eyes. ‘As if I’d really tell you. I’m going to use your phone to ring her and I want you to tell her that you’ve left the country and that you want nothing to do with her anymore.’

I scoffed. ‘And why would I do that, eh?’

He looked at me calmly. ‘Because if you don’t I’ll have my men shoot her on sight.’

I narrowed my eyes. ‘You wouldn’t do that. You’re here to protect people! You wouldn’t kill her.’

He folded his arms. ‘I have something very valuable in that warehouse and I don’t want people knowing about it. If I have to kill one teenage girl to keep it protected then I will.’

‘LaFontaine and the others will notice she’s missing,’ I replied, smirking. ‘And how would you explain her disappearance to her dad?’

He was starting to look bored now. ‘I’m an excellent liar, Carmilla. I’ll kill all of your little friends and dust it all under the rug with no problem. I’d regret it, of course, but I won’t hesitate to do it.’

‘You just admitted to being an excellent liar,’ I pointed out. ‘Why would I believe you now?’

He smirked. ‘Fine. Just another life you could have saved,’ and he turned to leave.

‘Wait!’ I said quickly and he stopped. ‘I’ll do it.’

‘Are you serious?!’ Edmund demanded. ‘He’s lying!’

‘But what if he isn’t?’ I asked. ‘What if he actually kills Laura and the others?’

‘He won’t! He doesn’t have anything in that warehouse! I bet she’s not even going to a warehouse. He’s just trying to make sure no one finds us!’

I knew he was right but if Moore wasn’t bluffing then Laura’s life was on the line! I couldn’t let him kill her to protect his secrets.

‘It’s Laura,’ I said desperately. ‘I can’t let her die.’

Moore pulled my phone out of his pocket and dialled Laura’s number. I shot daggers at him as he held it up to my ear.

‘ _Carmilla?! Oh my God! Are you OK?!_ ’ Laura’s voice greeted me and I froze, my blood running cold. ‘ _Carmilla?_ ’

Moore gave me a stern look.

‘Laura…’ I could feel the tears in my eyes already.

‘ _Carm! It is you! Are you OK? Where are you?_ ’ she asked.

‘It’s most probably best you don’t know that,’ I replied shakily. ‘You’re not looking for me are you?’

‘ _Of course I am! I’ve been worried! Moore told me everything. He’s got people looking for you too._ ’

‘Oh does he? He shouldn’t bother. I’m not coming back,’ I said and there was a startled silence on the other side of the line.

‘ _What?_ ’ she sounded hurt and my heart ached for her.

‘Edmund and I have decided to go travelling. We’re going to avoid the Vampire Lords for a bit. Should be fun,’ I gave a false laugh.

‘ _What about me?_ ’ she asked and the hurt in her voice then broke my heart.

Moore gave me a stern look.

I swallowed. ‘We were never serious. I’m a vampire. We’d never work in the long run anyway.’

‘ _But…I love you_ …’

Now she stomped on my heart and I was about to reach the end of my tether.

‘That was stupid of you then. Maybe I’ll see you some other time, cutie,’ I said and shook my head at Moore and he hung up.

‘Well done,’ he said, pocketing my phone.

‘Go to hell,’ I snarled, my tears now running freely down my face.

‘That’s where you’re going,’ he smiled, turned the iPod back on and left.

 

 

_Laura_

I stared at my phone in disbelief and I pocketed my phone. I took a few deep breaths and stared at the warehouse we had arrived at. Was she inside? Had she seen me? Is that why she had rung me? Was she trying to throw me off? I jumped out the car and ran towards the warehouse.

‘Carmilla?!’ I screamed and pushed the door open but there was no one there. Like the previous warehouse it only had a few used oil drums.

‘Carm?’ I sounded pathetic, even to me.

She wasn’t there.

She had really just dumped me.

She had abandoned me.

I spent the majority of the journey back to Silas sniffing and wiping my tears. The driver felt so bad for me that he didn’t even charge me. I paid him anyway and went to my room miserably. I saw all the notes I had stuck to the wall and I felt a sudden burst of anger. I ran to the wall and ripped all the notes down. I threw them across the room, screaming. I threw whatever Carmilla had left behind at the wall and pulled her bedding apart, just so I had something else to take my anger out on.

How could she just leave me?! How could she just leave, knowing that the Vampire Lords were coming straight for Silas?! What was I going to do now that she had left?! What did I have left, other than a raising amount of homework and friends who stupidly looked to me to save the school?

I didn’t want it anymore. I didn’t want the responsibility and I didn’t want the heartache. I had come to Silas for a normal life and instead it had become a life full of lies, hurt and danger. I didn’t want it anymore. I didn’t care about the Vampire Lords. I didn’t care about the stupid Light. Let the Vampire Lords come and try to find Carmilla. They’d be disappointed and they could chase her across the world. It wasn’t my problem anymore.

Let Moore and his private army try and contain the Light. It wasn’t my responsibility. He told me to act like a normal nineteen-year-old girl so that’s what I’d do. I didn’t need any of it anymore. I just wanted a normal life. I just wanted to do my work, go to school and have a girlfriend.

Well if I was going to have any of those things then I had to make changes at once. I texted Danny asking where she was and ran all the way to her room after she had replied. I knocked on the door and Danny opened it, frowning.

‘What’s u-’

I jumped up, wrapped my arms around her and kissed her. She instinctively grabbed my legs, holding me up. I opened my mouth against hers and she happily returned the kiss. She closed the door with her foot and held me against it.

‘What’s brought this on?’ she asked, blushing.

‘You said I had to choose,’ I reminded her. ‘So I’m choosing. She couldn’t be bothered to stay so she doesn’t care. I don’t need that in my life. I don’t need to be pining for some heartless-’

She cut me off by kissing me and carried me to her bed.

We made out for hours.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and LaFontaine stormed in.

‘We can’t find La-’ she stopped at the sight of me and I sat up quickly rearranging my hair. ‘What’s happening here?’ she asked.

‘Me and Laura are back together,’ answered Danny, sitting up and smiling. ‘Isn’t that great?’

‘What about Carmilla?’ asked LaFontaine, ignoring Danny.

‘She rang me and told me she had chosen to go off and she wasn’t coming back. She basically said she didn’t want anything to do with me anymore,’ I answered.

‘She had?’ said Danny. ‘Is that why you chose me?’

‘You said I had to choose between you and a memory. I could have cried myself to sleep but I decided I was going to right some wrongs. I never should have left you,’ I said and Danny hugged me, kissing my forehead.

‘She rang you?’ said LaFontaine and I nodded. ‘Was it her phone?’ I nodded again. ‘Right. OK. I’ll be right back. I need to check something,’ and she left, leaving me and Danny to stare at the door confused.

What did she need to check?

 

 

_LaFontaine_

I’m not an expert when it comes to people. I’m just not. I have no real social cues but if there was one thing I knew for sure, it was that Carmilla loved Laura and she wouldn’t just leave her. I also knew Laura and I knew that something was up with the way she was behaving. She had made it very clear that she loved Carmilla, despite her previous feelings for Danny.

I had been sympathetic when she explained how she was torn between the two and hopefully I was successful in hiding my scepticism. As much as she liked Danny, they hadn’t worked for a reason. Danny wasn’t a horrible person in any way, but she was certainly way too controlling.

Laura hated that. She might have been nostalgic for her old feelings but there was no way she would have acted on those thoughts, no matter how much she was hurting.

She wouldn’t just jump into Danny’s bed, especially only a few hours after Carmilla had supposedly dumped her. The Laura I knew would never have done that.

I entered my room and connected JP to the computer and his words appeared on the screen almost at once.

**_JP- Hello, LaFontaine. How can I help you today?_ **

‘Hey, JP. Apparently Carmilla contacted Laura today,’ I said to the computer.

**_JP- I heard! Apparently Laura and Danny are back together as well? Modern day courtship is very confusing to me._ **

‘Yeah…something smells fishy,’ I replied.

**_JP- I wouldn’t know. I haven’t been able to smell in years. I have however spent a lot of time on YouTube watching cat videos._ **

I smiled. ‘Of course you have. Do you think you could do me a favour?’

**_JP- Of course. What do you need me to do?_ **

‘Do you think you could go through Carmilla’s phone records and see where her last call came from?’ I asked.

**_JP- I will do my best but I’m not familiar with the inner working of the technology. I will do my best! Bye!_ **

His speech bubble disappeared and I knew that he was now travelling through the Internet to find Carmilla’s phone records. I wondered how long it would take for him to find it.

Perry came in, looking very pleased.

‘What’s got you smiling?’ I asked.

‘Laura and Danny are back together! I’m so glad everything is going back to normal. I mean I liked Carmilla-’

‘Not really,’ I interrupted her.

‘But she wasn’t good for Laura. Laura needs a healthy, stable relationship. I’m just glad she’s seen sense,’ she sat down on her bed. ‘Don’t you agree?’

‘Not really. Doesn’t Laura’s behaviour seem odd to you?’ I asked and she shrugged.

‘No. It’s good that she’s trying to go back to normal. I’ve wanted her to stop her little hero act for ages. I’m just glad she’s finally doing it. Now if we could just stop talking to the ghost on the computer everything would be fine! I’m going to go have a shower,’ and she stood back up and went into the bathroom.

I looked back at the computer and it started to flicker peculiarly. I hit it, frowning, and it started to work properly again.

What was that about?

\---------

Author's Note Sorry it's been so long. I've been doing tons of stuff on my original novel and I just got it back from the editor. I'll try to keep this updated but I'm mostly going to be concentrating on getting the word out there on my novel since the plan is to release it on iBooks and Amazon next month. I started writing it in 2008 and it's longer than Prisoner of Azkaban so hopefully it'll all work out. If you're interested in my other stuff you can follow me on Twitter @leeindieauthor


	9. Truth & Lies

**Chapter Nine**

**Truth & Lies**

 

_Laura_

Danny was the perfect girlfriend. There was no doubt about it. She was the one for me. She was comforting, attentive and not a vampire! It was so relieving not having to deal with blood drinking and supernatural entities. I was having a perfectly normal life.  We even had a movie night.

Everything was perfectly normal.

I don’t think LaFontaine approved of me and Danny being back together though. She kept asking if I was still upset about Carmilla leaving and, truthfully, I wasn’t. Carmilla had made her choice so I made mine. Danny was good for me. Danny was normal. Danny was ordinary.

Danny was perfect for me. Perry even said so.

‘How are things going, Laura?’ Moore asked me one day on my way to class. ‘We’re still looking for Carmilla.’

‘Don’t bother,’ I shrugged. He looked surprised. ‘She rang me. She doesn’t want to be found. You should most probably focus your attention on protecting the school.’

‘Well if that’s what you want…’ he didn’t sound sure but I nodded and continued on my way to class.

I won’t lie to you. I couldn’t concentrate at all during the lesson. I was too busy looking at Danny and thinking about how much I wanted to kiss her. Maybe we would be able to make out after everyone had left. Maybe she could lift me up onto the Professor’s desk and just-

‘Are you paying attention, Laura?’ the professor shouted, snapping me out of my daze and I nodded. ‘Then please read the next paragraph.’

That was an embarrassing lesson. Danny made me feel better afterwards by going to my room to make out. LaFontaine walked in on us (not for the first time) and promptly left. She looked annoyed. I couldn’t imagine why.

 

_LaFontaine_

Something was definitely wrong with Laura. It was almost like she didn’t even care that Carmilla was gone now. She spent the majority of her time with Danny and it was beginning to annoy me. The amount of times I had walked in on them making out in Laura’s room was too much to count.

I wanted to speak to Laura _without_ Danny or Perry being around but that proved to be difficult.

JP hadn’t found anything and I hadn’t had any emails from him telling me about his progress.

I knew Carmilla wouldn’t just leave like that and I was determined to find out the truth. It just scared me that Laura didn’t seem that concerned.

‘You should be happy for them!’ Perry told me one night.

I didn’t reply.

‘Seriously, LaFontaine. Laura’s happy! Why would you try to ruin that?’ she asked.

I spun on my chair. ‘Because Laura wouldn’t just give up like that! Don’t you find that weird.’

‘Well…’ she said awkwardly and I pointed at her.

‘Exactly! Something fishy is going on and I want to know what it is.’

Perry sighed. ‘I’m never going to have a normal life again am I?’ she mumbled. ‘All I want is everything to be perfectly ordinary.’

I narrowed my eyes. ‘That’s what Laura has been saying about her relationship with Danny.’

‘So?’

I hesitated before replying. ‘Nothing…don’t worry.’

Perry shrugged, grabbed a book out of her bag and started to read. I wasn’t sure if she was in denial or just stubborn.

Mostly probably stubborn.

 

_Carmilla_

I wasn’t sure how much longer I was going to last. Laura would be heartbroken. Laura would think I had abandoned her. How could I ever look at her again? Would I ever look at her again? After Moore’s visit, Edmund had been a lot more talkative; mostly to try and cheer me up but it hadn’t worked.

Nothing would ever make this better. I had lost Laura. I had truly lost her. Was she thinking about me? Did she miss me? What was she doing? I wanted to see her again so badly. But I never would. First Elle, and now Laura. Why couldn’t I be happy? Because of all those I had given up to my mother? Was this my punishment? Was I to die alone, knowing that the possible love of my life would never forgive me?

‘Stop beating yourself up!’ Edmund scolded me. ‘That’s not helping!’

‘It’s over, Ed,’ I mumbled. ‘It’s all over.’

‘It’s not over until the fat lady sings!’ he shot back and started to pull at his chains. ‘I won’t let you give up! Not now! You’re going to get out of this and when you do, you’re going to see Laura again! I promise you!’

‘That’s an empty promise,’ I replied miserably.

‘No. It’s not. I have a plan. You’ll have to be quick, but I have a plan.’

I didn’t pay any attention. These were trained vampire killers. They were ready for us. I voiced this to him.

‘No. They were ready for me. They could barely touch you!’ he reminded me. ‘You’ve been taught special tricks. I haven’t. If you get some blood, you should be able to get out of here without a problem.’

‘Don’t be stupid. They most probably have this entire area guarded,’ I replied, shaking my head. ‘Can’t we just make peace with each other?’

‘That’s quitter talk!’ he shouted.

I closed my eyes. ‘Please just shut up, Ed. I want to wallow in my own self pity.’

Edmund spent the next thirty minutes shouting swear words at me, saying anything to try and break me out of my wallowing.

‘What if Laura didn’t believe you?!’ he asked wildly. ‘What if she’s still looking? Moore might not even come to you this time! He might just kill her!’

That got me.

I screamed in fury and pulled at my chains with all my might, my anger refuelling me. There was a whine and the chains broke free. I fell to my knees, exhausted. The door burst open and a guard came at me with a stun baton. Using the last bit of my strength, I slammed myself into him and he went flying backwards, straight for Edmund.

Edmund pulled himself up and wrapped his legs around the guard. I grabbed the dropped baton and pushed myself up but I fell.

‘Goddamn it,’ Edmund growled and kicked the guard towards me.

I swung for his leg and the guard screamed, falling to the floor. I could already hear the footsteps of his teammates so I had act fast. I pulled up the guard’s pant leg and I bit his leg. He jerked like a dying fish and, my energy now restored, I stood up just in time to meet my attackers-

Only to be blown off my feet by a shotgun.

_Oh my God! Oh my God! I was just hit by a shotgun! The bullet- no- the bullets? It feels like I was just shot multiple times! Did it shatter?_

‘Carmilla!’ Edmund shouted.

I tried to move but I couldn’t. I hadn’t fed enough to instantly heal from such an attack. I was stuck. I was going to die. I was going to die…

I was about to die, and Laura would never know…

 

_LaFontaine_

I was sitting at my desk impatiently when it finally happened. JP had arrived.

**JP- I have located Carmilla.**

‘Excellent!’ I cried. ‘Where?’

He brought up a picture.

‘No way…’ I gasped. ‘Are you kidding me?’

**JP- I’m not known for my stand up. This is where Carmilla is.**

I swallowed. ‘I can’t believe it.’

**JP- I admit I am shocked as well. You best hurry!**

I didn’t need telling twice.

 

_Laura_

This was perfect.

Everything was perfect.

Danny sat up and pulled me onto her lap. I didn’t argue and I deepened the kiss. I felt her lift my top off and I lifted my arms up. My top met the floor and she was just about to unhook my bra when the door slammed open.

It was LaFontaine!

‘What the hell?!’ I screamed, jumping off Danny and grabbing my top. ‘Don’t you know how to knock?!’

‘It’s Carmilla!’ she replied, ignoring my topless-ness.

I pulled my top on.

‘Oh she doesn’t care anymore,’ snapped Danny. ‘Carmilla left her.’

‘But she didn’t!’ LaFontaine shouted back. ‘Laura, she’s here! She’s still at Silas!’

I froze. ‘What?’

‘She never left campus! She’s in that old tower!’

_She never left? She’s still at Silas?_

‘Are you OK?’ asked LaFontaine, frowning.

Truth be told, I wasn’t OK. I felt very un-OK. Everything was a mess. This was a mess!

‘I…’ was all I could say and it felt as though something had washed over me- no- it felt like the opposite.

It felt like I was standing on a beach and a wave had just come in, only to recoil back into the ocean. What had just happened? Why did I feel this way? What had I been doing for the last few days? Why had I felt the way I had been feeling? Why had I been kissing Danny? I didn’t want to kiss Danny.

Why had I given up on finding Carmilla? I never would have done that!

I felt like I had been asleep and someone else had been using my body.

And now I was awake.

‘Laura?’ Danny sounded scared. ‘What’s wrong?’

I looked at her as though we had never met. Was something wrong? Of course it was. I looked at her now and I felt nothing. There was no spark there. There was just…guilt. What was wrong with me? I had been possessed before and it felt nothing like this. I couldn’t even remember the time Carmilla’s mother had taken over my body.

I remembered everything now. I remembered every thought, every kiss I had shared with Danny, my dismissal of Carmilla…everything. What had happened to me?!

‘Laura?’ LaFontaine said softly. I could barely hear her.

I looked at her, silently asking questions. She must know. She always knew. What had happened to me? Why…why…

‘Carmilla!’ I said suddenly and ran past LaFontaine.

Carmilla was here! She was at Silas. My Carmilla! My Carm!

I pushed past the students with little to no regard for my or their safety. I had just to get to Carmilla as quickly as possible! I needed to see her! I needed to save her!

‘Laura?’ I heard Perry say but I didn’t look back.

‘Laura!’ LaFontaine’s voice called after me and I knew she was following me. ‘Wait up!’

No waiting. I had waited long enough. Carmilla needed me. She had needed me the moment she went missing and what had I done? I had sat around, believed Moore’s lies and…Danny. Oh God! What had I done? Why had I done it? I had never felt that strongly for Danny. Why had I done it?!

I reached the old tower and pushed it open.

‘CARMILLA?!’ I screamed.

LaFontaine, Perry and Danny followed me inside.

‘Laura,’ said Danny, breathless. ‘Wait…’

‘No!’ I snapped and looked up the staircase but there no sign of anyone up there. That wasn’t where they were keeping her. I looked around and saw a door.

There!

I pushed the door open and it led to a staircase leading down.

‘Carmilla?’ I said and ran down, the others following close behind. I could hear that Rebecca Black song coming from the distance. Why was that playing?

BANG!

We all threw ourselves to the floor and covered our heads with our arms.

‘CARMILLA!’ I heard Edmund shout.

_No!_

I quickly got back up and ran down the corridor. If she was dead…

I could see a light and my little legs worked faster than ever before. I could see two men standing outside a door, peering inside. They heard the sound of my footsteps and I launched myself at them, my tiny arms wrapping themselves around their neck and my momentum sent them stumbling.

I came into a circular room, Edmund chained to one wall, a man stood in the centre while Carmilla was lying on the floor, her chest covered in blood. The man raised the gun at me but the adrenaline had kicked in and I swatted the gun just as he fired and the door blew apart behind me.

I didn’t even punch him. I jumped onto him and head butted him, rendering him unconscious.

‘Holy hell!’ Edmund exclaimed as I rushed to Carmilla.

‘Carm?’ I lifted her head up. ‘Carm, I’m here.’

She smiled up at me but she looked drunk. Was she close to death?

‘Hey…Buttercake…no…that’s wrong…’ she frowned.

‘Please don’t die on me, you stupid vampire!’ I said and forced my wrist to her mouth. ‘Feed from me! Come on!’

She opened her mouth lazily and bit. The pain was sharp and I gasped. It felt as though two giant pins had punctured my skin and it wasn’t a nice feeling. She began to suck the blood from my wrist just as LaFontaine and the others came bursting in. The two guards I had pulled down were beginning to get up groggily and LaFontaine kicked them both swiftly in the head before running to get Edmund down.

Carmilla looked up at me, her eyes becoming focused again. I felt her wounds and they healed right under my skin.

‘This…this isn’t normal!’ Perry screamed angrily. ‘What is happening?!’

‘Shut up, Perry!’ I snapped.

‘Laura…’ Danny said weakly but I ignored her.

‘Are you OK?’ I asked Carmilla.

She pulled my wrist away from her mouth and smiled. ‘Better now I’m seeing you, Cupcake,’ she smiled and slowly sat up, wincing. ‘We’re gonna have to pull the shards out later,’ she added as I helped her up.

Edmund was now free and had fed from LaFontaine. He looked very pale.

‘Now what?’ he asked.

‘Where’s Moore?’ asked Carmilla. ‘I’m going to kill him.’

‘I’m right here,’ he said, walking into the room with two armed guards.

Carmilla hissed at him, her eyes turning black. Edmund did the same. Moore didn’t look threatened.

‘The Vampire Lords are heading towards the campus right now,’ said Moore. ‘If you want to save your friends then you’ll come with us.’

‘That’s bull,’ snarled Carmilla. ‘You can go fu-’

‘You lied to me!’ I screamed at him. ‘You lied! You said she had gone!’

‘I also made her say those things on the phone but that’s not important right now,’ he said dismissively.

‘Yes it is!’

‘No. It isn’t. Besides, you just spent the last few days in a relationship with Danny so shut up you stupid little girl!’

‘What?’ Carmilla looked at me, shocked.

‘I…’ I wasn’t sure what to say to her.

‘No…no…’ Perry started to pace the room. ‘This isn’t happening…Vampire Lords…no…I just want a normal school! I just want a normal life…’ she started to shake. ‘CAN SOMEONE TURN THAT SONG OFF?!’ she pointed at the iPod dock and it exploded.

The room became silent and everyone looked at a shocked Perry. She had frozen with fear. Carmilla’s lips twitched.

‘You’re a witch…’ she said.

Perry shook her head. ‘No! No I’m not!’

‘You are!’ said LaFontaine. ‘That explains why my computer went all fuzzy when you said you didn’t want me speaking to JP!’ she said and her eyes went wide. ‘And you wanted Laura to get back with Danny! That’s why she started talking like you and…that’s why…’ she looked at Danny awkwardly. ‘She got back with you…Perry was doing magic on her without knowing it.’

‘And hearing Carmilla was in danger broke the spell?’ I asked and LaFontaine nodded.

‘Looks like it,’ she sat.

‘Fascinating,’ Moore said, bored. ‘Now we’re going to hand Carmilla off to the Vampire Lords and-’

But he didn’t finish his sentence. Carmilla and Edmund both vamp-sped their way towards him and Carmilla pushed Moore backwards into the corridor. Edmund slammed into one of the guards and Carmilla deflected the other guard’s punch. She then grabbed him by the neck and head-butted him.

‘I have a better idea,’ said Carmilla and she grabbed Perry’s arm. ‘Time to witch up.’

‘What do you mean?’ she looked petrified.

‘You’re going to put a barrier around the school,’ Carmilla said determinedly. ‘If you can do a spell to make my girlfriend make out with Xena you can do that.’

‘But I don’t think I can.’

‘Guess what? I don’t care. You’re doing it,’ and Carmilla pulled Perry down the corridor, giving Moore a swift kick in the head as we passed him.

We got some very funny looks as we walked through campus but we did our best to ignore them. We came to the campus gates and Carmilla pushed Perry towards them.

‘Do it,’ she demanded and Perry started to cry. ‘Stop with the tears! Just imagine a damn barrier around the school.’

‘Carmilla-‘ LaFontaine began to say but Carmilla shot her a dirty look and LaFontaine became silent.

‘You need to do it now otherwise we’re all going to die!’ Carmilla shouted at Perry. ‘Do it now!’

Perry looked at me for help but I shook my head. She had to do this. She swallowed, her bottom lip trembling.

‘You can’t just put this on her!’ Danny shouted and Carmilla snarled at her. ‘Do you think that scares me?’

‘No. But this will!’

It happened so fast I never saw it happen. Suddenly Carmilla had Danny on her knees and her hand clasped around Danny’s throat.

‘If you don’t put the barrier up I swear I’ll break her neck!’ Carmilla shouted at Perry.

‘Carmilla!’ I exclaimed but she ignored me.

‘I’ll do it, Perry. I just found out she was smooching my girlfriend. I’ll do it! If the barrier isn’t up we’re all going to die anyway! I have nothing to lose!’

‘OK!’ Perry held her hands up. ‘I’ll try!’

Carmilla’s grip tightened. ‘You won’t try. You’ll do!’

Perry swallowed, nodded and turned to face the gates. She held her hands up, still visibly shaking. That’s when there was a flash of light and the sound of someone hitting what sounded like plastic. I had never even seen him until he hit the barrier. I screamed at the sight of him. He snarled and punched the invisible barrier but it didn’t break. Had he just come running towards us?

Carmilla let go of Danny and walked towards the man. He looked at her angrily.

‘You shouldn’t have done that, Carmilla,’ he snarled.

I moved closer towards him and saw Carmilla smile at him.

‘Hello, Dracula,’ she said. ‘Long time no see.’


	10. Revelations

**Chapter Ten**

**Revelations**

_Carmilla_

 

It had been so long since I had seen him that I had trouble remembering what Dracula looked like, but seeing him again made me wonder how I could have ever forgotten. Forget the stereotypical Dracula because he looked nothing like that. He had fiery red hair with a lean, muscular body and sharp facial features. Going by today’s standards I guess straight girls would find him attractive. He looked like a crazy, out-of-time murder and that’s what straight chicks appear to like nowadays. Yes, I’ve seen crap like _Twilight_ and _The Vampire Diaries_ (although admittedly TVD wasn’t nearly as bad as Craplight) and girls just seemed to like creepy douchebags like Edward and Damon.

I looked into his red eyes and smirked. His nostrils flared angrily.

‘You’re an idiot, Carmilla,’ he snarled and slammed his fist against the invisible barrier. The whole campus rumbled and there was a brief second where I considered the fact that Perry’s spell wouldn’t hold. Annoyingly he had noticed and he smirked.

‘You also don’t know that this will be able to hold me back,’ he commented and punched the barrier again. ‘How long do you reckon it’ll hold?’ he punched it again. ‘Should we do a class experiment? What do you think, Laura?’ he asked her. ‘You have such a pretty neck.’

‘Leave her alone,’ I snarled, stepping forward. He grinned at me. ‘This is between us.’

‘Why are his eyes red?’ LaFontaine asked.

‘Because he’s consumed a large amount of blood,’ I answered. ‘And think about how dangerous that means he is because there are vampires who have lived longer than him who don’t have red eyes.’

‘I’ve wiped out villages,’ he smirked proudly. ‘I even brought Rome down.

‘I thought that was Odovacar and his army,’ said LaFontaine and he laughed.

‘Army?’ he continued to laugh and it was awhile before he stopped. All we could do was wait for him to finish. ‘Do you still believe in Santa Clause as well?’ he asked and almost broke out into laughter again.

‘There are historic records!’ argued LaFontaine.

He rolled his eyes. ‘Yes because I wasn’t there or anything. Where there’s war there’s blood and where there’s blood, there I am. Am I sounding a bit to cliché?’ he asked me curiously.

‘Kinda, yeah. Less of the maniacal laughter and trying to make yourself sound like the Devil please,’ I replied.

‘Good to see your mother taught you manners,’ he said and snarled again. ‘How is she by the way?’

‘A huge Light Monster,’ I shrugged.

‘I give her one job and she messes it up,’ he shook his head and punched the barrier again.

Thankfully the spell remained standing.

‘And now, because of you and your annoying girlfriend, we’re all in danger. All of us. The entire vampire race is now in danger because we’re all being _pulled_ towards this place and your mother is going to kill us all.’

‘Pull? Can’t you just ignore it?’ asked Laura.

‘No, Hollis. We can’t. We’re like lambs being dragged into the slaughterhouse. Not even your pathetic spell will hold her once she comes out from that pit,’ he spat. ‘Luckily for you, Carmilla, you’ll be able to avoid her little genocide magic when she gets out. Maybe you and Laura can get a few miles before she catches you.’

‘Genocide magic?’ said Edmund, frowning. ‘What do you mean by that?’

‘What does it sound like, Edmund? We fed that Light so it wouldn’t kill us. There’s a reason sunlight doesn’t burn us and that’s because the Light allowed us to live in the light as long as we fed it. Now the Light has physical form! It can go and eat people all it wants.’

‘Why didn’t it just do that in the first place?’ I asked.

‘How should I know? Maybe it didn’t think it would survive the transformation,’ he replied.

‘How do you know this?’ I asked.

‘Your mother was a Vampire Lord. We’re all connected. She’s been speaking to us telepathically since she was consumed and she’s very angry,’ he answered.

‘And why did you say Carmilla doesn’t have to worry about the Light’s magic?’ asked Laura and Dracula looked very smug.

‘Because she’s not going to be a vampire for much longer,’ he sated and everyone held onto his or her breath.

‘What?’ I said and I could feel my heartbeat increasing.

He sniggered. ‘Haven’t you been feeling a bit different lately? Not as hungry? Not as strong?’ he asked and I swallowed.

I hadn’t felt as hungry and the vampire at the house had kicked my ass. We had assumed it was because I just hadn’t fed but what if I had been because I was losing my strength?

‘That’s crap,’ snapped Edmund. ‘She ripped the chains out of the wall earlier! She’s fine!’

‘But the chains didn’t weaken me like they did you,’ I replied, looking at him. ‘The chains should have zapped me of my strength because they were holy but they didn’t! That’s why I kept my strength.’

‘But…how?’ asked Laura.

‘The sword,’ answered Dracula. ‘It destroys those who wield it. Carmilla is still here, isn’t she? She’s becoming human.’

He looked far too smug for my liking but I ignored him. I looked at Laura and I could see she was as conflicted about this as I was. I loved being a vampire but it meant that unless Laura turned and gave up her human life, we couldn’t be together. But I were human we could have a normal life together. We could stay in one place, we could get a house together, and we could even adopt a dog!

I don’t like dogs, but we could totally adopt one. We could even…

‘Are there wedding bells playing somewhere?’ Dracula asked and pretended to look around. ‘I think I can hear wedding bells…. I’m pretty sure I can smell adoption papers. Do you know what adoption papers smell of? Diapers and boring human life! How does that sound, Carmilla?’

I narrowed my eyes at him. ‘Do you want to shut up?’

‘I can save you from that,’ he offered. ‘The only way we’re going to stop your mother is with a full set of Vampire Lords and-’

‘No,’ I interrupted him.

‘It’ll stop you from becoming a human.’

‘Not interested.’

He looked annoyed. ‘Do you want to be a human?’

‘I don’t want to lose my emotions,’ I sneered. ‘Vampire Lords lose the ability to love and care about people.’

‘So all the weak emotions then,’ he smiled.

‘I’m not doing it.’

‘You don’t have a choice. You’re the best candidate. You had direct contact with the light and the sword. You can beat it.’

‘I can beat it without turning into a Vampire Lord.’

‘Not if you’re a weak human. If you don’t do this then your friend Edmund will die,’ he added, nodding at him.

I looked at Edmund but his face was void of any emotion.

‘How do you feel about that, Edmund?’ asked Dracula. ‘You’ll die unless she becomes a Vampire Lord.’

‘Do I look like I give a crap?’ he asked, surprising me. ‘My life for Carmilla and Laura’s?’ he smiled. ‘I don’t even have to flip a coin.’

This did not please Dracula at all. ‘Once I get pass this barrier I’m going to kill you first,’ he threatened.

‘There’s a saying the kids use now that I’ve wanted to use for awhile now: hashtag-don’t-care!’ and he lifted his hand up enthusiastically for a high-five but everyone just looked at him awkwardly. ‘Don’t leave me hanging…’

LaFontaine took pity on him and gave him his high-five.

‘And what about all the innocent vampires?’ asked Dracula and looked at me. ‘Are you seriously willing to let them die because you don’t want to stop loving some pathetic human?’

I stepped forward so we were almost nose-to-nose.

‘She’s worth a million of you,’ I told him and I felt her take my hand in hers.

‘I’ll fix this,’ she told Dracula. ‘Carmilla’s Mother fell into the Light because of me. I’ll fix this.’

He didn’t look convinced. ‘You caused all this. If Carmilla agrees to become a Vampire Lord now then I’ll let you live but if not…’ he addressed me now. ‘I’m going to rip out her heart right in front of you.’

Laura’s hand tightened around mine and she held onto my arm, as if to make sure I didn’t walk through the barrier.

‘I said I’ll fix it,’ she said sternly.

Now he looked impressed. ‘You’ve got fire in your eyes, Hollis. You’d make a good vampire.’

‘I think Carmilla will make a better human,’ she replied and I felt my stomach churn at this.

I wasn’t sure I would and I could feel everyone’s eyes on me.

‘I don’t doubt that,’ replied Dracula, sardonically. ‘Fine. We’re still looking for the final Talisman. I’ll be back with the others when we find it. I’ll you see then, Carmilla,’ and he was gone in a flash.

We all looked at the spot where he had stood silently. None of us knew what to say. Laura pulled me into a hug and she cried into my neck. I returned the hug and looked at Danny. She looked crushed. Perry went to touch her arm and she pulled back, shaking her head. She gave Laura and I one final look before walking away.

‘What are we going to do?’ asked Laura. ‘I don’t have a plan! I don’t know what to do!’

‘I’m stumped too, Creampuff. But we’ll sort it and…and then we can go plan our human lives together!’

She looked at me uncertainly. ‘Are you OK with that? I know how much you like being a vampire.’

I shrugged. ‘It’s a choice between a life with or an eternity as some unfeeling thing going through a lonely existence,’ I smiled at her. ‘I don’t even have to flip a coin.’

‘Copyrighted by me!’ Edmund told me and I flipped him off.

I cupped Laura’s face. ‘I missed you, Creampuff,’ and I kissed her.

She melted into my arms but soon she was pushing me away.

‘You’re not angry? About Danny and me?’ she looked terrified.

‘It wasn’t your fault. Perry’s magic was messing with your mind,’ I threw Perry a dark look. ‘Nice to how you feel.’

‘I-I didn’t mean- I just wanted everything to go back to normal!’ she was shaking.

‘I know. Stop worrying I’m going to break your neck,’ I replied.

‘Aren’t you?’ she asked.

I rolled my eyes. ‘No, you idiot. I’ve dealt with prejudice all my life, either because I’m gay or because I’m a blood-sucking vampire. This is nothing new for me.’

That reminded me.

‘Moore…’ I said and let go of Laura. ‘I need to speak to Moore.’

Laura looked worried. ‘You’re not going to kill him are you?’

‘He threatened to kill you. I think I should let him know how I feel about that.’

I pushed past the others and we made our way back to the tower. Moore was coming out when we arrived.

‘Carmilla?’ he said, wincing and I used my vampire speed to reach him before anyone.

I punched him and he fell to the floor.

‘That was for kidnapping Edmund and I!’ I said, picked him up and punched him again. ‘That’s for threatening Laura,’ I punched him again. ‘And that’s for making us listen to that stupid song!’

I grabbed him by the neck and tightened my fingers around it. ‘And now I’m going to kill you.’

‘It-wasn’t-me-‘ he croaked. ‘I-wasn’t-in-control-‘

‘Sure you weren’t,’ I snarled, revealing my fangs.

‘Wait!’ Laura pleaded. ‘What if he really wasn’t? I wasn’t in control when Perry made me like Danny again. Perry said she just wanted everything to go back to normal. Maybe Moore was under Perry’s spell too!’

I glared at him and could see that he was about to pass out. I let go of his throat and he fell to his knees, coughing. He looked up at me pleadingly.

‘I’m not here to hurt you,’ he coughed. ‘I haven’t…I haven’t been myself lately. It was like being controlled by…like in a videogame? It was like someone was pressing the buttons and I just did it.’

I wasn’t convinced.

‘I was confused why I was doing everything…kind of…internally I was but-’ he looked lost for words. ‘I-I dunno…the longer it went on the more sure I was of it all.’

‘That was like with me and Danny,’ said Laura. ‘I was all confused but then I felt like it was right.’

‘And you started repeating stuff Perry was saying,’ added LaFontaine and Perry gave a worried whimper.

‘I’m here to protect you,’ Moore went to stand up but I hissed at him. He raised his hands in surrender. ‘I really am. I’m sorry about everything…’

‘I don’t trust you,’ I told him. ‘But I need that final talisman. Tell your men to find it and to bring it here so Dracula can’t reach it and tell your men to back off. I’m not playing anymore. If any of them attack me I’m going to rip out their spinal cords. I’ve had enough…I also want Netflix for Laura’s computer. Think of it as a “I’m so sorry, Carmilla” present.’

I grabbed Laura’s hand. ‘We need to get these bullets shards out of me,’ and I pulled her along with me to our room.

Once we got inside I went under my bed and pulled out a medical kit. I pulled my top off and then my bra. I handed her my tongs and then pulled out a knife.

‘This isn’t going to be pretty,’ I told her and quickly stabbed myself wherever there was a bullet. ‘I need you to pull the bullets out.’

She looked stunned. ‘Seriously?’

‘Yeah. It’s fine. Just do it.’

She licked her lips nervously and started to pull the bullets out of my chest. It wasn’t particularly pleasant. Laura didn’t look too thrilled about it either but she did it without complaint and without looking nauseous. She placed all the shards on the table and my wounds soon healed up.

‘It’s going to be weird not being able to do that anymore,’ I said, smiling briefly.

‘Well hopefully you won’t be getting shot at once you’re human,’ Laura replied and she went to the sink to wash her hands.

‘That sounds pretty boring,’ I teased and she threw the dishtowel at me.

I dodged it. ‘I’m gonna have a shower,’ I told her.

Truth be told, I really needed it. I stunk and I felt disgusting. I still felt a bit weak, even after having drunk some blood. It then occurred to that maybe the way I felt was now my 100%. Soon my 85% would be my 100% and it would keep going down until I was a regular human. How weak were humans again? I couldn’t even remember how it felt to be human.

It was then, as I stood in the shower that I felt the fear settle in. I was going to be a human. I was going to be weak. I was going to be mortal. I was going to grow old. I wouldn’t be able to vamp-speed my way out of situations, I wouldn’t be able to disappear and reappear at will. I was going to be so…ordinary.

What if I couldn’t handle it? What if something happened to Laura? What if the Light really did kill all vampires, including Edmund? What if my Mother did come after Laura and me? What if she killed everyone I knew? How would I protect them as a human? How could I fight?

The door opened and I turned. Laura looked at me with an understanding expression. She knew what I was thinking and it scared me. She closed the door behind her and I was surprised when she started removing her own clothing. I swallowed at the sight of her completely naked and she stepped into the shower with me and she pulled my face to hers and kissed me.

It was soft and tender. Just the kind of kiss I needed. We didn’t deeper the kiss. Now wasn’t the time for that so instead we hugged.

‘I…I lo…’ I tried to say it but I couldn’t. Why couldn’t I say three simple words?!

I felt her smile against my skin. ‘I know. You don’t have to say it.’

‘But I should be able to,’ I replied.

‘You will. When you’re ready,’ she said confidently. ‘I’m so happy you’re home.’

I smiled too and tightened my arms around her.

I was home.


	11. Witch Training and Christmas Plans

_Laura_

 

‘I’m going to train Perry to use her magic,’ LaFontaine told us the next morning.

Me and Carmilla were snuggled on my bed when she came barging in and, unlike when me and Danny had our brief “reunion”, LaFontaine didn’t seem particularly fazed by the sight of us. Luckily for me, I was wearing pyjamas… but Carmilla was not.

‘And how are you going to do that?’ asked Carmilla.

‘I had JP look into it,’ she shrugged and I giggled while Carmilla rolled her eyes. ‘Turns out Google is a lot more helpful than we give it credit. It’s also a lot easier when you have a digital friend that can literally surf the web faster than you can.’

Carmilla rolled her eyes again.

Moore had unexpectedly followed through with Carmilla’s request and had gotten us Netflix, so I decided to spend the day with her and made her watch _Doctor Who_. She appeared to like it, although she took an instant disliking to Amy Pond. I couldn’t imagine why…I’m being sarcastic by the way.

Perry was not taking being a witch too well.

‘But I don’t want to be a witch!’ she protested during her first lesson. LaFontaine was trying to get Perry to levitate their pillows.  ‘No one in my family is a witch so why am I one?’

‘That’s not true,’ said LaFontaine. ‘According to the information JP found, there’s usually at least one witch every generation of witches so one of your Aunts or Uncles could be a witch or wizard. And one of your grandparents’ siblings. You can’t be the only one.’

‘Well I am!’ Perry snapped and I looked at Carmilla for answers.

‘What do you think? You must have met a witch or wizard before,’ I said.

‘Briefly,’ she replied. ‘I never asked how it worked.’

Perry proceeded to moan and complain for half an hour before she finally agreed to at least try. Carmilla wasn’t particularly impressed with this.

‘I think I was less in denial when I realised I was gay and I was in a far less understanding time period,’ she grumbled.

I looked at her, surprised. ‘Yeah! How was that for you?’ I asked and she raised an eyebrow at me. ‘Figuring out you were gay back then?’

‘I didn’t like guys,’ she replied. ‘It wasn’t that hard to figure out.’

‘But how did you deal with it?’ I asked.

‘I just got on with life. It wasn’t proper for a young woman to be thinking such “dangerous thoughts” about her servant girls. What about you?’

Perry had managed to lift her pillow up an inch before she screamed and it dropped back onto her bed. LaFontaine cheered but that only made Perry angry and they started to argue. Carmilla and me ignored them.

‘I was about thirteen,’ I answered. ‘Well…actually no. One day me and my parents were watching The Mask when I was little and the bit where Cameron Diaz came down singing made me think “she’s pretty” and then later in the film she’s tied up to a tree and…’ I trailed off as Carmilla smirked. ‘What?’

‘You got all hot and sweaty over a damsel in distress,’ she stated.

‘I wouldn’t put it like that…’ I was embarrassed. Very embarrassed.

She leaned in. ‘Do you like being tied up?’ she asked me, her smug smirk suddenly becoming _very_ alluring.

I could feel my face grow warm. ‘No…’

‘Liar…did you get all tingly when you guys tied me up?’

Her face was very close to mine.

‘Shut up,’ I told her.

She held the tip of her tongue between her teeth. ‘Make me, Cupcake.’

I was about to kiss her when I realised that Perry and LaFontaine were watching us with bemused expressions. Apparently they had stopped arguing long enough to listen to me and Carmilla flirt.

‘Sorry,’ I giggled nervously.

‘I’m not,’ Carmilla grinned. ‘I’m gonna go have do some shopping on Amazon since I can’t walk past that barrier.’

I really wanted to grab one of the pillows and cover her face with it just to get her to shut up.

 

*

 

Our time was pretty much split between classes, witch training and reading through the books from the library to find anything to help us fight against the Light. Moore occasionally gave me updates on where his men were in their search in finding the final talisman. He avoided Carmilla at all costs however and kept asking whether there was anything he could do to make us feel better.

Either he was very sorry for the way he had acted under Perry’s influence or he was just a very good actor. We had Kirsch follow Moore about to see what he was doing. It meant Kirsch’s grades would fall but he didn’t seem concerned. Apparently his grades couldn’t get any worse (which I didn’t doubt), but I still felt bad.

So my time was then split between classes, witch training, research and tutoring Kirsch. Carmilla wasn’t too happy the first time I bought him back to our room. Her order from Amazon had turned up and she had decided to tease me by handcuffing herself to my bed.

Kirsch seemed happy enough though.

Danny had gone back to avoiding me and she ran off whenever I tried to speak to her. Soon she stopped turning up to class and wouldn’t open her door when I went to check up on her. I felt so bad for her and Carmilla kept reminding me that I wasn’t my fault. I didn’t feel guilty (that much) but I still felt like it was kind of my fault. I should have been stronger. I should have been able to resist Perry’s magic.

You know your life isn’t normal when you beat yourself up because you couldn’t resist your friend’s magical powers and made out with your kind-of-ex-girlfriend while your vampire girlfriend was chained up under a tower.

I should write a book.

Soon Christmas was just around the corner and that was terrifying. Everything was moving so fast that I barely had time to process it. I rang my dad to tell him that I was staying on Campus for Christmas and he sounded so heartbroken that I was miserable for three days. Everyone except Kirsch and Danny were staying over for Christmas, much to my despair.

‘She said she doesn’t want to be here,’ Perry told me one night.

‘But what if Dracula attacks her?’ I argued.

‘She’s getting a bus with a ton of people,’ replied Perry. ‘I doubt he’d try anything.’

‘He brought down Rome!’ I reminded her. ‘And what about when she gets home?!’

‘It’s her decision, Laura,’ was all she said.

Perry had been a lot more moody and dismissive since her training had started. LaFontaine admitted one evening that it wasn’t going very well. Perry practically took at least an hour before agreeing to try even the simplest of spells. Carmilla had found a spellbook in the library one night and given it to Perry to use, only for the book to end up in the trash.

‘She’s got a real attitude that one,’ Carmilla said angrily, flicking through Netflix. ‘Why is there nothing actually on this thing? Everyone makes such a big deal out of it and there are like two things I’d actually watch!’

‘Isn’t that like most TV channels?’ I asked. ‘Shouldn’t we be researching the Light?’ I added.

‘We’ve gone through all the books in the Cult section,’ she replied. ‘I ordered a bunch of other books on Amazon and eBay. They should be here just after Christmas.’

‘Oh! Christmas!’ I rolled over onto my front and grinned at her. ‘What do you want for Christmas?’

She shrugged. ‘I dunno. Christmas really isn’t my thing. I don’t think I’ve ever really celebrated it. Except from when I was human of course,’ she added thoughtfully. ‘My mother was the “celebrate Christmas” type.’

I stared at her, my heart melting. I must have had a weird expression on my face because she frowned at me.

‘What?’ I asked.

‘You’re giving me a look,’ she said.

‘Well…it’s your first Christmas without your evil mother,’ I said, giving her a hopeful look. ‘We can properly celebrate.’

‘Err…’ she looked torn. ‘Well…you see…’

‘Oh please!’ I climbed on top of her. ‘It’ll be so much fun! We can make cookies and share presents and we can put up a tiny tree on the desk!’

She started laughing.

‘What?’ I said.

‘You look so adorable,’ she sat up, moving me so I was sitting on her lap. ‘Fine. We’ll do the whole Christmas thing. Just don’t be so…you about it…don’t be all cute and stuff.’

‘I make no promises,’ I smiled.

I was determined to make this the best Christmas ever for everyone! Just because we were stuck at school didn’t mean we couldn’t have a great time! I was determined to make it perfect. I managed to write a list of what everyone wanted most for Christmas. Carmilla just wanted a lot of cookies, LaFontaine wanted snow (wasn’t sure how I was going to do that) and Perry just wanted “a nice normal meal”. Edmund didn’t want anything, much to my annoyance. No matter how much I pestered him, he wouldn’t accept anything from me.

‘But it’s Christmas!’ I said after my twentieth attempt.

‘And I’m fine with not having anything! Seriously, Laura! I don’t want anything,’ he replied, tired of me badgering him.

‘I’m going to ask Carmilla what you like,’ I told him, frustrated.

‘She doesn’t know what I like anymore,’ he replied. ‘It had been hundreds of years since I last saw her, remember?’

‘Don’t care! I’m asking!’ I walked away.

‘Good luck with that!’ he called after me.

There was no way I was going to let his stubbornness take away the Christmas vibe I had been working up to. He would get something for Christmas and I would be something he liked! Stupid stubborn vampire! I was heading back to the dorms when I found Perry sitting outside on the steps looking miserable.

‘What’s up, Perry?’ I asked and sat down next to her.

‘I don’t want to be a witch. I can’t handle it,’ she replied. ‘And all of you are acting like this is a normal thing. How can you go around acting like any of this is normal?’

‘Because it is normal. Vampires have existed for centuries. Apparently so have witches. It’s not that any of this is abnormal. It’s just you’re not used to it,’ I replied, smiling sympathetically.

She swallowed. ‘But…how can you be used it already?’

I smiled. ‘Because I jumped in headfirst…and because I fell in love. I’d be willing to go through a lot more for Carmilla.’

She looked at me apologetically. ‘I’m sorry for what my magic did to you, by the way.’

‘It’s fine. You didn’t mean to do it,’ I smiled and held her hand. ‘You can’t change the fact you’re a witch. It would be like me trying to change being gay. It’s who you are. Embrace it.’

She looked uncertain at first but then she gave me a weak smile.

‘I think I’ve annoyed LaFontaine a bit too much though,’ she told me. ‘I haven’t been the easiest of students.’

A thought hit me like a lightning bolt and I grinned at her.

‘I know what you can do to say sorry,’ I told her and she looked at me expectantly. ‘How would you feel about trying to control the weather?’

‘What do you want me to do with it?’ she asked.

‘LaFontaine said she wanted snow,’ I told her and looked up at the sky. ‘And the skies have been clear all week. It’s freezing but I doubt we’re going to get any snow.’

‘So you want me to make it snow?’ she asked uncertainly.

I smiled. ‘Please?’

She thought about it, smiled and nodded. ‘I think I could try.’

‘Awesome!’ I hugged her. ‘This is going to be the best Christmas ever!’

Now all I had to do was find out what Edmund wanted.


	12. Christmas Treat

_Carmilla_

 

‘So why won’t you tell Laura what you want for Christmas?’ I asked Edmund as we sat on the roof of the dorm building one night.

He laughed. ‘Because I don’t need anything,’ he replied. ‘This might be my last Christmas and I’m quite happy spending it with my best friend.’

I smirked. ‘Gay much?’ I teased and he lightly punched me on the shoulder. ‘You even hit like a girl.’

‘You’d know,’ he replied and I waited a few seconds before jumping on him and we wrestled playfully for several minutes before he managed to pin me down.

He had never managed to pin me down before. I suddenly felt weaker than ever before and even he looked uncomfortable and we hastily went back to sitting and looking up at the stars in an awkward silence. I tried to push my growing fears of becoming human aside and tried to focus on the positives.

I could actually have a normal life with Laura. No more supernatural business. It would just a perfectly normal life. It both terrified me and made me want to squeal with happiness…but I’m too cool to squeal with happiness. I’m far too sarcastic for that.

I’m also not a Christmas person so you can most probably imagine my reaction when I turned up in my room to find it decorated by Laura but she just gave me the puppy eyes and reminded me how I was meant to be celebrating Christmas properly for the first time in hundreds of years so I went along with it. I even put the star on top of the miniature tree she had bought for the desk. She squealed and clapped and hugged me…it was adorable and a little bit embarrassing.

She then started making me watch Christmas films…do you know how many Christmas films there are? There’s a lot of them and most of them aren’t very good or are almost carbon copies of each other. I liked the ones with Tim Allan though! The first two, I mean. That third one was beyond terrible.

Laura seemed to enjoy them all and would snuggle up to me in the most adorable way. It was times like those where I wasn’t sure if I wanted to tear her clothes off or just be romantic and kiss and cuddle and kiss and cuddle… and I’m rambling.

I was also a bit annoyed that we hadn’t…y’know…”bumped uglies”? Is that what you call it now? Technically speaking since we’re lesbians it would be “grinding uglies” right? Actually- no- that sounds gross. Seriously gross. Err…tapping the- no!

OK. She likes to stroke me when I’m a cat so I’d like to repay the favour by stroking her- oh my God there is no decent metaphor for this. I wanted sex, OK?! And I mean I really wanted sex. I was gagging for it. I just wanted to do naughty sexual things to her and pull her hair while I’m doing them! I’m kind of rough. Don’t judge. I’d be gentle when she wanted me to be but believe me when I say I’d open her innocent little mind as much as I’d open up her legs.

Sorry. I got a little bit carried away there. Little bit embarrassing.

Where was I?

Oh yeah!

Christmas!

Yeah, it’s not my thing but Laura had put some much effort into it that I felt that I should do the same. So I wore Christmas themed sweaters, I wore the Santa hat and I hummed the songs. The best part was that Laura kept hanging mistletoe over my head so I started doing the same. There was a lot of making out. I mean a lot. So much. It was great.

A whole lifetime of making out? I’ve heard of worse things.

 

*

 

Christmas morning began with high-pitched squeals from Laura. I jumped up out of bed, ready to attack despite the fact my messy hair was covering my face. I blew my hair out of my face and looked at Laura angrily. She smiled at me apologetically.

‘It’s Christmas,’ she told me innocently.

‘So you have to scream like you’re being attacked?’ I asked and she held out a box of cookies. ‘Well…that’s a good way of saying sorry,’ I said and jumped down from the bed.

I took the box, threw it on my bed and pulled Laura in for a deep kiss. She practically melted in my arms. I presented her presents afterwards.

‘An iPad and a Kindle?’ she looked at me, puzzled.

‘Yeah. You read all that nerdy stuff. Now you can have them on the go,’ I shrugged. ‘I thought it was a good idea.’

She looked at them, amused. I then went under my bed and pulled out DVD collections of _Doctor Who_ , _Supernatural_ , _Sherlock_ and _Elementary_. She was thrilled. She was slightly less thrilled when I then handed her a Nintendo DS with five games or when I pulled out a bag from under my bed containing ten _Doctor Who_ novels and a new laptop.

‘Erm…how much did you spend on me?’ she asked.

‘Not that much,’ I lied. ‘And I promise this is all of it. I don’t have a bunch of other stuff on the way that hasn’t turned up on time.’

Her eyes widened. ‘Carmilla! You weren’t meant to spend that much on me!’

‘Why not? Isn’t that the point of Christmas?’ I asked, smiling awkwardly. ‘I thought I was meant to shower you with gifts.’

‘But you must have spent so much!’

‘Oh not really. The car was a bitch to pay fo-’

‘A car?!’ she looked furious and I laughed.

‘I’m teasing!’ I told her. ‘I didn’t really buy you a car,’ I pulled her into a hug and kissed her on the forehead.

‘You’re evil,’ she mumbled.

‘I prefer the term playful,’ I replied, half-tempted to pull her top off but she jumped out of my arms and to the closet.

‘We need to go see the others,’ she said, pulling out some pants and a Christmas sweater.

I grumbled and we both got changed. I helped Laura carry the presents to the dining hall where everyone was waiting.

‘Merry Christmas!’ exclaimed Laura happily.

Edmund smirked at me and I rolled my eyes. He stifled a laugh and helped us put the presents next to the ones they had bought. Laura hugged Edmund, LaFontaine and Perry. I punched Edmund on the shoulder coolly and nodded at the other two. LaFontaine was wearing a Santa Hat. It was actually kind of funny. Perry went off into the kitchen to cook and Laura went to help.

‘You guys stay here and talk,’ Laura ordered and she ran after Perry.

I let Edmund and LaFontaine do most of the talking while I sipped the eggnog. They were talking about some of Edmund’s Christmases from many years ago when Edmund broke out into a laugh unexpectedly and both LaFontaine and I stared at him, confused. He tried to recompose him, looking very embarrassed.

‘What’s so funny?’ I asked.

He tried to act natural. ‘What? Nothing’s funny,’ he replied and I saw his eyes dart towards Laura and Perry in the kitchen.

I looked around at them and Laura looked alarmed. Did Edmund hear Laura say something? Even Perry looked alarmed. What had they been talking about?

Laura gave me a small smile and went back to making the turkey. Perry brought out some pigs in blankets and I scoffed them down irritably. The fact I couldn’t hear what they had been saying really annoyed me. I was so used to feeling all-powerful and strong. Now I felt incredibly average.

See, this is my problem. I want to have a normal life with Laura but I’m so used to being a badass vampire chick that losing my powers made me feel inferior.

I’d get used to it eventually. I just had to stop relying on my now depleting powers for everything. That would take some time to get used to. I had finished the pigs in blankets by the time Laura and Perry had brought the rest of the food over, much to Perry’s annoyance. I apologised, surprising her but she still glared at me like a stern teacher afterwards.

We ate, they laughed and I gave Laura embarrassed smiles whenever she looked at me to see if I was having a good time. Edmund started telling a story about a night we went and got drunk at a royal ball and, finding myself surprisingly relaxed, I added to the story and joined in the laughter. Laura gave me a peculiar look that caused colour to flood my cheeks.

After dinner we opened up the presents. Edmund had gotten everyone a watch and LaFontaine had bought everyone science equipment for some reason. She’s a very odd girl. Perry had made everyone friendship bracelets, as corny as that sounds. I was actually touched when she gave me mine and apologised again for accidently causing Laura and Danny getting back together while I had been imprisoned.

Laura gave everyone their gifts, her face so bright with happiness I wouldn’t have been surprised if a halo suddenly appeared over her head. Why did she have to be so bloody perfect?

Did you know some people play games at Christmas? I didn’t. Why would you play board games? We played twister. We actually played twister. I played twister! At one point I had Laura’s butt in my face so I decided to give it a quick nip. She squealed and fell.

I was disqualified for cheating.

We even played pin the tail on the donkey- well they did. I was happier watching them act like idiots trying to reach out for it. No one managed to do it although Perry did come close. I suspect she was trying to use her magic to cheat, but then again that would be a very un-Perry-ish thing for her to do.

‘I’ve got another present for you,’ Laura whispered in my ear, hugging me from behind and her voice sent shivers down my spine. ‘I’m gonna go and get it and I want you to come back to the room in about half an hour, OK?’

I turned to face her, smirking. ‘And what could possibly take thirty minutes to set up?’ I asked.

She grinned back. ‘You’ll find out when you get there, won’t you?’ she asked, quickly kissed me on the lips and dashed off.

That thirty-minute wait was agonising. Part of me suspected I was about to get laid but the other part of me thought I was expecting too much. It didn’t help that Edmund had the biggest smirk on his face and wouldn’t tell me why. Once my new watch hit the thirty-minute mark, I was out of there like a flash.

I couldn’t run as fast now that my powers were leaving me but I was still pretty damn fast. I reached the door to our room and I hesitated for a second before pushing the door open to be greeted by darkness. I fumbled for the light switch and flicked it.

The room was flooded with light and my jaw literally dropped.

Standing in between our beds was Laura, wearing nothing but a large red satin wrap. Covering her breasts were two neat little bows and the satin then travelled down her stomach and between her legs, covering her modesty. Her hair, which was usually straight and neat, was now slightly curled and unkempt. It also looked like her eyelashes were longer too. She put her hands on her hips and smiled at me seductively.

‘What do you think?’ she asked with a tone I had never heard from her before. It oozed confidence.

My mouth had suddenly gone remarkably dry. I looked at her up and down and noticed that she was even wearing red high heels. How had I not noticed that before?

She had so much skin and so much of it was on show! I tried to swallow but nothing happened. She looked very pleased by this. She strode over to me, walking in a way that made my legs go weak. It was that walk. You know the one. The one you see in every film where a woman tries to walk seductively. There’s a slight sway of the hips and the legs cross over each other with each step.

‘Do you like?’ she asked, grabbing my wrists and placing my hands on her exposed hips.

‘Very much…’ I said awkwardly. It was like my mind was only working at 75%. I looked down at her chest and could see a flash of her nipples where the satin had been unable to fully cover them and my mind immediately switched to 25%.

‘I’m glad,’ she whispered and her arms fell around my neck and she pulled me in for a kiss.

I froze at first but soon my instincts took over and I returned the kiss, my hands gliding around her hips and to her exposed butt. She had apparently decided to fashion the satin like a thong. I could see why this took her thirty minutes to set up.

Somehow she had removed my top without me realising it. Oh! And my leather pants too. OK, so I was standing in my bedroom in nothing but my lacy black underwear and making out with my girlfriend, who happened to only be wearing a satin body wrap. She may have set it all up but that didn’t mean that I was just going to let her take full control.

I pinned her against the wall, my mouth diving straight for her neck. I heard her let out a sigh of ecstasy and she cursed, surprising me. Laura Hollis swearing? That was almost unheard of. I grabbed her by her shoulders and spun her round and she let out a gasp of surprise. It was adorable.

I started to kiss her shoulder and then up the back of her neck. I gave her butt a quick spank and she gasped again and laughed. Her hand shot right into my dark locks and she pulled up, bringing my head up from her neck and she took my mouth in hers. My hand ran down her stomach and under the satin between her legs and I found my target.

Her grip on my hair tightened and I felt her body tense up against mine. I would like to remind you that I am century’s years old and I have had plenty of experience when it comes to having sex with another girl. Let that sink in and think about how amazing I must be in bed and then times that by a hundred. I’m not dragging (OK, I am) but is it any surprise that I managed to get Laura incredibly wet and red faced in about thirty seconds? I know my way around another chick’s sex.

She broke the kiss and rested her head on my shoulder as I got to work. I resumed kissing her neck and she swore again. I giggled and so did she.

Then, with great determination, Laura pulled my hand away and pushed me onto her bed. With a smirk and a raise of an eyebrow, she sunk to her knees and she pulled my thong off. Before I could say anything she had me lying on my back and her head between my legs.

I felt her tongue make contact and my eyes rolled up. OK, so it turns out that I’m not the only experienced one here. I was starting to question the reasoning behind her father’s overprotectiveness. I propped myself up onto my elbows and looked down at her to find that she was looking directly up at me as she licked me. She was totally giving me the sex eyes. I let her continue for several minutes just to allow her the misconception that she was in charge before I pulled her up by the hair.

She crawled her way up to me and I captured her mouth with mine to taste my juices. I lifted my back up slightly to unhook my bra and I threw it aside with no regard for where it landed. We made out for at least twenty minutes, our hands travelling over each other’s body and we fought for dominance. It wasn’t hard for me to pin her down but I had to give her credit for trying.

With one simple movement I managed to pull the satin wrap loose and threw it aside, leaving Laura now completely naked under me.

She looked rather surprised that I had managed this so easily and I grinned at her.

‘You forget who you’re dealing with, cupcake,’ I smirked and kissed her.

She took advantage of my moment of smug victory to push me on my back and she straddled my face, grinning down at me.

‘Are you as good with your mouth as you are with your fingers?’ she asked.

‘I’m even better,’ I replied and grabbed her butt as I leant in to taste her. I then reached out with my hand as I ate her out and found the satin wrap. I tried not to laugh as I planned my next move. She was so transfixed that she didn’t realise that I had pulled her hands behind her back and tied her hands up with the wrap until it was too late.

‘Carm!’ she gasped as I slid out from under her. I then fashioned her a collar and a leash with the rest of the wrap. She looked torn between angry and turned on. I tugged on the wrap and she silently obeyed and got off the bed. I pulled the chair over and sat on it, spreading my legs. I cocked an eyebrow and she sunk back to her knees and I held her head firmly in place as she lapped up my nectar.

I reached down to my clit and started to rub it. It wasn’t long before I came against her lips. She looked up at me with an innocent look but her lips glistened in the light and I grinned.

‘How’s it feel to be restrained?’ I asked and a devious expression replaced her innocent look.

‘It’s exciting,’ she replied and I pulled up on the wrap.

I stood up and undid the collar and pushed her on the chair. I then tied the wrap around her, to restrain her to the chair. She looked very excited and, with the combined efforts of my fingering and eating out skills, it wasn’t long before she came.

The sex didn’t end there though. No way. I untied her and…well lets just say that “bump and grind” song would have been the perfect music. It was very hot. When we were done she collapsed on top of me, glistening with sweat. I licked her shoulder and she tasted like salt. She giggled.

‘That was fun,’ she said, drawing invisible circles on my leg.

‘Yeah it was,’ I replied and sighed. ‘So…wanna have a shower with me now?’

She grinned. ‘You bet!’ and she jumped off the bed and rushed into the bathroom.

I sat up and smiled.

Best Christmas ever. 


End file.
